Mass Effect: Shepard and the Rainbows
by Meluch
Summary: After her family was killed on Mindoir, Riley Shepard was an orphan. After he was shot down on Mindoir, Rainbow Prism's dreams of being a Wonderbolt were crushed. Maybe together, they can rebuild the family they lost and change the galaxy forever. Prequel to Mass Effect: Shattered Record, Broken Wings. The First Story in the "First Meetings" universe.
1. Prologue - Nightmare's Nightmare

Prologue - Nightmare's Nightmare   
><span>One Thousand Years Before the Great Stasis

_For want of a nail, the shoe was lost;_

_For want of a shoe, the horse was lost;_

_For want of a horse, the rider was lost;_

_For want of a rider, the message was lost;_

_For want of the message, the battle was lost;_

_For want of a battle, the kingdom was lost,_

_And all for the want of a horseshoe nail._

The Castle of the Two Sisters

The moment had been a long time in its coming, inevitable in its arrival, and despite that, Princess Celestia still found herself confused. Where were these feelings coming from? Why hadn't she approached her earlier about this? They could have worked through this together, like they were supposed to. Like sisters were supposed to.

"Not another step!" Princess Luna said icily, glaring down at her older sister from the dais in the throne room. She took a step forward, her horn glinting dangerously in the light of the sun from the window behind her. "Did you really expect me to sit idly by while the prophecy hangs over us all? There can only be one Princess in Equestria!"

Celestia looked over her sister, sadness filling her heart even as she prepared herself for battle. The younger Alicorn's flowing mane somehow looked disheveled, and her dark blue coat looked like it hadn't been washed in several days. Her eyes were bloodshot and it looked like she hadn't slept for at least a week.

"That Princess..." Luna stepped forward onto the small bridge that crossed the two thrones. Rearing up, she slammed her fore legs down, smashing the bridge to pieces as her eyes flared a blinding white. "Will be me! Nightmare Moon!"

The wall behind Luna cracked and the window overlooking the room shattered, revealing the sun outside. Magic swirling around her, Luna rose up, her horn glowing as she cast the moon over the sun, an eclipse. Darkness spread out, unnatural, beams of black spitting out across the land.

The largest of the beams reached out, striking Luna in the heart. Ribbons of darkness spiralled out, cocooning themselves around the Alicorn in a ball of shadows.

The ball hung in the air for a moment before exploding brilliantly, revealing a transformed Luna, or Nightmare Moon now Celestia supposed.

Nightmare Moon grinned, revealing deadly sharp teeth that looked like they could tear through iron. Her horn glowing a brilliant blow, she cast a beam of energy out, slicing the ceiling of the throne room apart, sending slabs of rock and glass crashing to the floor below.

"Luna, I will not fight you!" Narrowing her eyes in determination, Celestia stepped forward. "You must lower the moon! It is your duty!"

"Luna?" Nightmare Moon growled, stomping a hoof to the ground. Her eyes flared dangerously. "I am Nightmare Moon! I have but one royal duty now: to destroy you!"

With a shout of rage, Nightmare Moon blasted away at Celestia with her magic, the elder alicorn shooting out of the way of the beam with a mighty flap of her needed space to work, and the hole through the top of the room was more than adequate enough. With another flap, she accelerated out of the castle and into the night sky above.

"And where do you think you are going?" Nightmare Moon shouted angrily. Leaping into the air, she flew after her sister with deadly intent. There would be no running from this battle.

Her muscles straining, Celestia flapped her wings and weaved between the towers and ramparts of the castle while dodging the deadly magical blasts from Nightmare Moon, who pursued her closely. Dropping towards the ground, Celestia flared her wings at the last possible moment to just skim across the surface. Nightmare Moon stayed hot on her tail.

Rising back up into the air, Nightmare Moon fired another beam, this time with deadly accuracy. Speeding out from her horn, the bolt struck Celestia in the chest and she screamed in pain. Her wings locked up and she plummeted to the ground. It was to her luck that Celestia fell through the hole in the roof of the throne room.

Every part of her ached as she lay still against the cool stone of the floor. She kept her eyes closed, taking the moment to gather her strength back. The fight had been short, but it ad still taken a lot of out of her. It wasn't over and she still had a long way to go before she could fully rest.

Sighing deeply, Celestia stood slowly on her four legs, her eyes still closed. Her head hung low. "Oh, dear sister. I am so sorry..."

Stepping backwards, Celestia fired a beam of magic at the floor of the throne room.

Laboriously, and with a groan of protesting metal, the floor slid apart. Hidden gears clacked against each other, spinning, rising. Out of the hole in the floor, a large device rose up, five spires orbiting around it on thin metal arms. On the top of the device sat a smooth stone globe, perfectly spherical in its construction.

"You have given me no choice but to use these," Celestia said mournfully as she stretched her wings.

With a mighty flap of her wings, Celestia flew up above the device, using her magic to take ahold of the stone globe in the center. She grimaced as her magic strained, but slowly and surely, out of the stone rose the Element of Magic. From the thin metal spires the other five elements rose: kindness, generosity, honesty, loyalty, and laughter. Together, they met the Element of Magic and rose to orbit around Celestia, held aloft by her magic.

Flapping her wings, Celestia rose back up through the hole in the ceiling of the throne room.

Nightmare Moon was waiting for her outside, her teeth gritted together in anger.

Hovering in the air, Celestia glared at Nightmare Moon as the dark mare lowered herself from the sky to Celestia's level. Even as the Elements orbited around her, the white mare looked grim, her face sad.

"Don't make me do this, Luna." Celestia plead, her voice desperate.

"My name is Nightmare Moon!" A crack of lightning punctuated her statement.

"I was wrong, Luna." Celestia sighed, lowering her head. "But this fighting does nothing. Not for you. Not for her, and certainly not for the prophecy!"

"No!" Nightmare Moon shook her head and gestured an angry hoof at her sister. "This is the only way!"

Gathering her magic, Nightmare Moon fired a beam of magic at the solar princess. Celestia dodged and Nightmare Moon rushed to follow.

"This is the way that everything needs to happen! You know it to be true!" Nightmare shouted after Celestia, growling.

Their desperate flight took them around the entirety of the castle. Magic arced out across the sky, ripping stone and mortar to pieces whenever it failed to connect with its intended target.

"Stop this, Luna!" Celestia called out over her shoulder.

"Never!" Nightmare Moon growled out. Gathering her magic, she fired an enormous blast of magic at Celestia.

How Celestia knew to dodge would be a question that kept her up at night for centuries to come. There was no forewarning, no signs, nothing to alert her, yet she still dodged, something deep in her gut telling her to move. The magic that would have struck her dead instead continued onwards, blasting apart the tallest tower of the castle. more than half of the stones turned to dust from the sheer power of the blast, and those left behind crumbled, falling to the ground far below. Nothing of the tower was left.

Nightmare Moon's eyes widened in complete terror and fear. Celestia stopped her running, turning to face her sister in understanding. It was over. The fight was over, and all she could feel was sadness, her heart breaking.

"Oh, Luna." Celestia spoke softly. "What have you done?"

"No!" The form of Nightmare Moon faded away, leaving Princess Luna behind. Tears filled her eyes and with a powerful flap of her wings, she rushed towards the remains of the tower. "No! No! No! No!"

With her magic, Luna tossed the rubble aside, frantically searching for any sign of life.

She froze when she found what she was looking for.

Celestia touched down softly beside Luna, peering down into the rubble at what had caught her attention. A shattered dark blue crib lay flattened from the stones. The remnants of a baby foals room was strewn about, barely recognizable in the wreckage. The remnants of Princess Luna's daughter's room.

Helping her search, the two continued silently, tossing rubble aside and out of the way. Both were holding back tears, though Luna sobbed quietly under her breath.

Taking ahold of one of the largest pieces of the tower, Luna tossed it aside like it weighed nothing. She dropped to the ground in horror at what she found. A small blue blanket, torn and soaked in blood, laid underneath the rubble. Luna let her tears flow free, screaming her sadness to the sky above.

"I am sorry, Luna," Celestia said quietly. Gently laying down beside her sister, she put a wing over Luna's back, joining her in her sadness. "I am so sorry."

"I killed her!" Luna wailed, her voice cracking. "I killed her..."

Celestia could think of nothing to say to that, instead giving her sister her silent support.

Things would never be the same.


	2. Chapter One - Wonderbolts to the Rescue

Chapter One - Wonderbolts to the Rescue  
><span>June 3rd, 2170 C.E.  
>Mindoir, Attican Traverse<p>

The alarms blared through the ship, but Rainbow Prism had long since drowned them out. He had bigger issues to focus on. Top of all of them being the fact that he was about to experience combat for the first time in his life. It was honestly something that he had prayed he would never see.

Sure, the Wonderbolts had become a more functioning part of Equestria's military ever since the sphere had been cracked open almost twenty years ago, but they were still primarily stunt fliers. It just so happened that it was now policy to never leave the planet without their gear when touring, armor and weapons included.

It was supposed to just be a simple trip. After so long dreaming, Prism had finally achieved his greatest dream in life. He was a Wonderbolt! There were only two moments that he held in higher regard. The first was his wedding day. Seeing Firefly walking down the aisle in her dress... it still made his legs go wobbly. The second was the birth of his only daughter. All things considered, Prism was living the dream.

At least he had thought he was, until mid-way through the flight to the Asari homeworld Thessia when the distress call had come through.

"This is the colony planet, Mindoir. We are under attack by raiders. Please, if anyone can hear this, we need help! Oh god, I hope someone is listening."

The message repeated, stuck on a loop. It was a complete miracle that they had even managed to pick it up. The ship the Wonderbolts used to tour the planets was not state of the art. It had once served as a colony transport ship hauling around mid-sized freights to planets on the Traverse. It was cheap and in relatively good working order, which is why the Wonderbolts had purchased it. It was the perfect size to transport them to the few tours that they had begun to schedule across the galaxy.

Prism shuffled his hooves, checking one last time that his battle harness was firmly attached around his barrel. It was. The straps were tight, but not overly so, and the guns were in just the right place to not restrict his wings during flight. His coat itched under the light armor, but there was nothing he could do about it but grin and take it.

Glancing around the room, Prism looked over the Wonderbolts surrounding him. He was by far the newest of the team, having only recently graduated from the academy, but he was beginning to get to know who they all were and where he stood with them. They were a generally fun-loving bunch who trained hard and partied harder. The pranks and games were a part of life, and smiles were the name of the game.

Prism couldn't see any smiles on his teammates faces. A heavy, solemn air had fallen on the converted cargo hold as the Wonderbolts trickled in from their rooms, dressed in their combat armor. They all stood in small groups, speaking in quiet whispers, anxious for the beginning of one of the first military actions they would ever undertake.

"Oh god! Please, someone, anyone! Help us! They're just shooting- Oh god, oh god! Please! This is the colony planet Mindoir. We're under attack-" the transmission cut off to static.

"You all heard the same thing that I did!" Commander Easyglider said as he stepped into the converted cargo hold. By sheer presence alone, everyone went silent as they waited for him to speak. He stood in front of the Wonderbolts, dressed in the same armor as the rest of them. He paced back and forth in front of them, and they all hung to his words with rapt attention. "By all chances, we are the only ship close enough to respond. I know you were all expecting an easy airshow on Thessia, but we're Wonderbolts, and by Celestia we can't just sit back and let a colony get destroyed! We are Wonderbolts, and we are the best that Equestria has to offer! Will we let Celestia down?"

"No!" Prism found himself shouting along with the rest of the Wonderbolts. Their combined cry was loud and fierce.

"Will we let the humans down?" Easyglider asked?

"No!" The cry came louder than before.

Easyglider grinned, dropping his helmet into place. "Now that's what I like to hear!"

"Enter Mindoir's atmosphere in thirty seconds," the ships intercom said, with the tinny sound of bad speakers. "Prepare for drop."

"You heard the stallion!" Easyglider flared his wings, grinning wildly. "Remember to stick with your wingpony and you'll do fine. Make me proud!"

"Wonderbolts, hoaah!" The shout vibrated through Prism, seeming to resonate deeply in his soul. It felt good, and he could feel a confidence welling up in him that hadn't been there moments before.

Stepping up to his wingpony, Prism gave a warm smile to Star Glow. A female pegasus, her butter yellow coat and blue mane were barely visible under the armor she was wearing. She was older than him and had been quick to take him under her wing from the moment that he had graduated through the academy. When they were back on Equestria, she had an open invitation to dinner in the Rainbow household and she and Firefly got along wonderfully. That fact sometimes came around to haunt him, but it was all good in the end.

"Ready, ma'am," Prism said. Familiarity was for when they were off duty.

"That's good, Prism." Star Glow nodded approvingly at Prism. "Just remember, stick with me. We'll get through this if we can stick together."

"Got it." Nodding, Prism took a deep breath. Despite her confidence, Star Glow had never actually seen any action. Mutually reassuring each other was the best thing that they could possibly do. Together, they could get through anything.

"It looks like we've got four ships in atmo." The ships intercom blared again. Together, the Wonderbolts all moved to their assigned spots in the drop hold, which were marked on the floor with four yellow hoof prints telling them where to stand. "Batarian, by the look of them. No fighters, but a few transport ships buzzing about."

"Roger that, Captain." Easyglider spoke into his helmet microphone, already connected to the ships communication. Turning to face the Wonderbolts from his own assigned spot he stretched out his wings. "Synch to the battle-net."

Reaching over, Prism tapped a button on one of the gauntlets on his foreleg. Inside his helmet, his armor and communications synched with the rest of the Wonderbolts, connecting with a quiet chime.

"Drop in five..." The ship started to shake, a violent motion that felt completely different to actually flying through the air on their own wings. "four... three... two... one."

"Drop."

The floor dropped out from under the Wonderbolts and Prism felt the familiar feeling of his stomach dropping as he plummeted to the ground far below.

The Wonderbolt's ship sliced neatly through the atmosphere nearly directly over Mindoir's only colony, New Denver. It was small settlement, with a population only numbering fifty-thousand, the majority of them retired spacers and men and women from the merchant marines.

The bottom of the ship's hold dropped open and the Wonderbolts plummeted out towards the ground below, their wings folded tightly to their sides, hooves held back to make them as aerodynamic as possible.

Prism stuck directly behind and to the left of Star Glow, just like they had taught him in training. Never leave your partner behind. In his helmet, the buildings of New Denver and all of the other Wonderbolts were highlighted by the battle net, making it easier for him to pick out everyone and everything of importance.

As he looked, he couldn't help but stare in horror at the burning buildings and the faint screams that he could hear even over the sound of the air rushing past his ears.

"Highlighting mission priorities," Easyglider chimed in over the battle-net. "On my mark, go into flight pattern delta."

Prism tensed along with the other Wonderbolts, ready to do as their leader commanded.

The ground kept growing closer and closer, and soon enough, Prism could make out the faces of the bodies laying still on the ground. He shuddered, firming himself for what he had to do.

"Mark." Easyglider's simple command came through, his voice confident.

The Wonderbolts broke apart, each team moving to strike a position that the Battle Net had highlighted for them.

Prism and Star Glow rocketed towards what appeared to be a residential area, just past a large park full of large fountains. A raider transport shuttle hovered nearly directly over the area, highlighted by the battle-net.

"Okay, Prism." Star Glow said, her voice coming in nice and clear through Prism's helmet. "Follow me in, close and tight. Let's take that ship out."

"Roger that, Ma'am." Prism nodded, even though she couldn't see it from her position ahead of him. "On your lead."

Star Glow dropped down, her battle harness activating at the subtle hoof movements she made. The guns instantly locked on the target and without any hesitation opened fire. The bullets rip through the relatively unarmored ship with ease.

Prism dropped down after her. He activated his guns and they opened fire on the ship, armor piercing bullets streaking out and tearing through the ship's walls. By chance, he hit something important and the ship's engines died. As it started plummeting to the ground below, it exploded, sending the raiders below scurrying away.

"Good shooting, Prism." Star congratulated with a crow of delight.

"Thank you, ma'am." Prism grinned, adrenaline pumping through his heart.

"Follow me back around," Star ordered, already banking around for another pass. "Let's take these guys out."

"Roger that, ma'am." Prism nodded, following her around. "I'm on your six!'

The two peeled back around, heading back for the Batarians that were firing indiscriminately up into the air at them. Lining up with them, Star and Prism opened fire. Bullets streaked out, tearing the alien raiders apart. They dropped like flies, the battle harnesses accuracy being guided by their battle-net.

The raiders dropped like flies, but not before one of them made a lucky hit.

Crying out in pain, Prism felt a streak of fire rocket through his left wing and he plummeted like a stone as he screamed in pain.

"PRISM!" Star shouted in panic, but he barely heard her through his pain.

He hit the ground hard, sliding across the ground until he came to a stop against a park bench. He laid still, shocked and in pain.

"Prism!" Above him Star Glow banked back around, finishing off the raiders before she started circling above him. "Come on, talk to me!"

With a groan, Prism sat up, fighting through the pain. Looking back at his wing, he found it still attached, but broken, the feathers stripped clean off and bending in ways that did not look natural. He looked away, shutting his eyes to try and push away the nasuea that overtook him. Taking a deep breath, he looked up at Star Glow.

"I'm okay." He reassured her, doing his best to keep the pain out of his voice. "My wing is broken, though, shot through. I'll be alright, but I'm on the ground from here on out."

"Thank Celestia!" Star Glow gave a sigh of relief, and though he couldn't see her face, Prism was sure that she had that dorky smile of hers on her face.

A scream of terror tore through the air. Prism instantly jumped to his hooves, his battle harness activating as he tensed, pointing it in the direction of the scream.

"I'll provide you cover." Star Glow growled over the radio. "Let's go check that out."

"Roger that, ma'am." Prism nodded. He started forward, towards the houses that were quickly turning into burning husks.

Making his way between the buildings, Prism kept his head on a constant swivel. The screaming grew louder with every step that he took, but when it was followed by a series of gunshots, and then silence, he took off running.

"It was coming from in here, ma'am." Rushing forward, Prism ran towards where he last heard the screaming, a large house with a gaping hole blown into its side, a simple prefab building.

"Be careful, Prism." Star sounded angry in his ear. "I can't keep watch over you if you move inside."

"I'll be alright, ma'am." He tried to sound reassuring, but he felt anything but confident. He walked through the hole in the side of the building.

As he stepped into the house, Prism grimaced when he found bloody footprints lining the floor. He swallowed back bile at the sight but continued onwards, his guns active and ready to fire at a moments notice.

Passing through the living room, he found nothing.

"Nothing so far, ma'am," he spoke through the radio. "I'm moving to check the bedrooms."

"Roger that." Star sounded annoyed. He could only guess that she wanted to be on the ground with him, but Wonderbolt tactical procedures were clear. If any team member was grounded and still operational, the other member was too provide air-support.

Prism moved past the living room to a long hallway lined with doors. He checked them one by one, finding two girls rooms, one with a significantly younger tone to it and walls painted bright pink, and a fairly simple master bedroom.

He found no one, but a long streak of blood led out from the youngest looking girls room, and he shifted uneasily at the sight.

"There's a whole lot of blood here, ma'am. It's spooking me out." He ignored the instincts telling him to run as far and as fast from the house as possible, moving ahead through sheer force of will.

"Stay calm, Prism," Star said, her voice quiet and sympathetic. "Fight through it."

He walked past the hallway into a large kitchen and dining area, noting that another room sat just off to the side.

Prism froze and gulped back vomit when he laid his eyes on a pair of bodies. A tall man was curled protectively around a much smaller form, and for a moment he was hopeful that he had found survivors. The large pool of blood they were laying in put that thought to rest.

"I have two bodies," Prism whispered in horror. "No sign of the other residents."

From the other room there was a great shout and sounds of a struggle. With a burst of speed, Prism darted inside to find a woman struggling against a Batarian, trying her hardest to keep him from raising his rifle to her chest.

"Back away from her!" Prism shouted, sounding tougher than he felt.

The batarian ignored him, instead punching the woman in the face. She dropped back with a scream of pain, letting go of his rifle as she fell to the fire. Prism opened fire, but he wasn't quick enough. The Batarian managed to fire three shots before dropping dead to the ground, a bleeding line of bullet holes marching up his body.

Prism rushed to the woman, who lay still on the floor, fighting for each breath. She smiled up at Prism before looking down at her chest and the blood that was quickly pooling and staining her shirt.

"Shit," she swore, breaking into a coughing fit, wiping blood from her mouth.

"Ma'am," Prism said quietly. "Just hang on, I'm sending for help. They can patch you upright."

"I don't have that long-" The woman laughed, but it turned into a deep hacking sound and blood spurted out her mouth. "My daughter..."

"I didn't see any sign of her, ma'am." Prism assumed that she was speaking of the other daughter, and not the child that he had found in the other room. There were two children's rooms after all.

"No," she said firmly. The woman shook her head, pointing towards a small closet. "My daughter, Riley. Please, protect her. She's all that's left."

The woman slumped to the floor, breathing heavily, her eyes going wide.

"I will ma'am." Prism held her gently, not wanting her to be alone in her final moments. "She's safe."

"Good..."

She exhaled one final time, and then fell still. Prism was frozen for a long moment, staring down at her. Someone had died in his hooves. He had killed, and because he wasn't fast enough, someone else had died because of him.

Shaking himself from his thoughts, Prism stood, looking at the closet.

Stepping forward, he opened it, finding a teenage girl huddled on the floor, her hands tight around her ears, eyes clenched shut, her dark red hair tangled and wet with blood clinging to her face.

"Riley," Prism whispered, looking down at the girl worriedly.

She didn't hear him, rocking back and forth as she tried to stifle her sobs. Slowly, Prism reached out a hoof and touched her arm.

Screaming, Riley's eyes shot open. Adrenaline and fear pumping through her she tried to run, but Prism was blocking the door. She froze at the sight of him and her mind struggled to comprehend what she was seeing before her. A pony. Ponies were allies, that's what her father had always told her.

Looking past Prism, Riley saw her mother lying on the floor, dead.

"MOM!" Riley cried.

She lunged forward to her mother's side, pushing Prism out of the way as her tears finally started falling. Prism watched her with compassionate eyes.

"Star, I have one survivor," Prism spoke into his helmet.

"Roger that, Prism," Star responded with a sad voice.

"Heads up, ponies." Easyglider's voice broke out over the battle-net. "We're about to get company. Friendly. Fall back and clear the airspace."

"I'll meet up with you, Star," Prism said, watching Riley carefully. "Go ahead. I've got this covered down here."

Star was silent for a long moment before she responded, her voice hard. "You better not die on me, Prism. I don't want to have to explain that to Firefly."

"You won't have to." Prism shuddered at the thought.

Prism stepped forward and puts a hoof on Riley's shoulder. She leaned back into it, desperate for any form of comfort. Catching the hint, Prism reared up on his hind legs and wrapped her in a hug. She started to sob into his shoulder.

Before Prism could say anything, five earth shattering booms shook the house. Prism felt like his bones were going to shake apart from noise but he didn't let go of Riley, holding tighter as her tears fell harder.

"This is the SSV OLYMPUS." A new voice spoke out over the battle-net. From what his helmet was telling him, Prism realized that it was being broadcast on all available channels. Whoever was doing it was not messing around. "This is the Systems Alliance. Stop all resistance and surrender peacefully."

Prism shuts his eyes in relief. The Alliance had arrived, and they would take it from there.

Four sharp booms echoed out moments later, nowhere near as impressive as the five just moments before. Ships were jumping in and out of FTL in atmosphere, it was the only explanation. The were jumping away.

Riley tired herself out, and soon enough she had no more tears to cry. She slumped against him, falling into unconsciousness, Prism still holding her.

###

Star Glow flew up to rejoin the other Wonderbolts. She watched with wide eyes at the massive human dreadnought and four cruisers holding position above the colony. The SSV Olympus was a sight to see, as dozens of transport ships emerged from it. They began descending to the surface where they started to unload hundreds of Systems Alliance marines.

"Nice of you to show up." Easyglider broadcasted on all channels, directing it at the Olympus above them. "Thought we were going to have to take care of this mess all by ourselves."

"Who is this?" A harsh voice asked. "This is a restricted channel."

"Commander Easyglider, with the Wonderbolts," Easyglider responded easily.

"Commander!" The voice sounded surprised, but recognized the name. "I didn't know you were preforming on Mindoir."

"We weren't, but we heard the distress call." Easyglider banked around, leading the Wonderbolts back towards their ship which was waiting in orbit half a mile away. "We couldn't help but answer."

"Thanks for the assist, Commander," the voice said warmly.

"Good job, Wonderbolts!" Easyglider congratulated. "You made me proud today."


	3. Chapter Two - Beginnings

Chapter Two - Beginnings  
><span>Pluto, Sol System

Pluto, the planet that never was. The largest known object in the Kuiper belt, and the second largest object in the Sol System after Eris, the dwarf planet. Such a humble thing. Discord gave a little smile at the name and a small nod of greeting to the humble planetoid, named after a sister he never had.

But that wasn't why he was here.

Discord waited with a patience that was at odds with his name, seemingly frozen as he stared up into space beyond the thin atmosphere of Pluto. He would wait however long it took. There was no rush. He had all the time in the galaxy. He was immortal after all. The very universe itself could die and he would remain, chaos incarnate. Not even Celestia could claim such, and he knew that fact intimately.

There was no herald to its arrival, no trumpets, no flash of light, it just simply appeared, a shadow against the starry sky.

It moved with elegant purpose with no visible means of propulsion, dancing through space effortlessly as it carried its precious cargo to its final destination. The great work was only just beginning, and there was still so much to accomplish before everything would be ready.

Discord watched the massive creature as it ever so gently placed a Mass Relay into orbit around Pluto above him. It paid him no mind, accomplishing its task with a driven intensity that made Discord shudder at the very order of things.

Pulling away from the Relay, the creature turned, beginning its journey back out of the solar system, edging out of Pluto's gravity before it jumped away. It left no trace of its arrival save the Mass Relay it had placed into orbit, a monument that would withstand the sands of time, forever working, a guiding light to all who found it.

With a long slowness, the great inner rings of the Relay began to spin, circling around a glowing ball of Element Zero. The miracle element that would forever allow the races of the galaxy to expand beyond their humble beginnings.

As Discord stood still, watching, time began to speed up. The inner rings of the Relay became a blur, moving far too fast for him to see. Years pass, then decades, centuries. Pluto orbited the sun, faster and faster. Endless cycles. Millennia passed, and for the first time, Discord observed silently as the Relay activated.

With a flare of element zero and blue lightning, a small ship rocketed out from the Relay. Discord watched as it sped away, exploring the system. Finding nothing after days of scanning, it returned to the Relay and passed back through.

Time continued on, and Discord did not move from his silent vigil. Far above him, the Relay went dark as its element zero supply depleted. Its rings stopped spinning, and slowly, ice began to build on its impenetrable surface. Before his eyes, the Relay became an icy moon orbiting Pluto.

Centuries passed, and Discord watched as the false moon spun around Pluto in an endless orbit. Millennia passed in the blink of an eye, and Discord remained unchanged.

Discord couldn't help but give a small smile as the Relay activated for what he knew was the final time. This was the moment that everything truly began in this solar system. Time slowed, because Discord didn't want to miss a single moment.

The rings of the Relay smashed the ice covering it into chunks as it reactivated. Seconds passed, though it could have been a million years to Discord. A broken Prothean ship hurtled through the Relay, struggling to slow down as it leaked element zero from its cracked hull. Unlike the other aliens, the Protheans stayed at the Relay, working for over a month to deactivate it.

With a slow finality, the Relay went dark for the final time. The Prothean ship began a long voyage to the fourth planet from the sun, Mars, the red planet.

Growling in his throat, Discord snapped his claws. He disappeared without making a sound.

###

Discord appeared on the surface of Mars, ignoring the harsh wind and red dust that howled past him, a bubble of peace and calm appearing around him. Looking up at the sky, he smiled when he saw a pale blue dot just barely visible above the horizon, even through the thin atmosphere. Reaching up, he stroked his goatee.

"Intriguing," he muttered, looking down at the ground beneath his feet. He knew that he was standing directly above the Prothean archives, buried for nearly fifty-thousand years.

It would have to stay buried for awhile longer.

Looking back up, he watched the massive sand storm that was beginning to build on the horizon.

He snapped his fingers and disappeared.

###

Discord appeared on the moon, light enough that he left no sign of his presence in the dust. Just at the edge of the grey horizon, a brilliant blue planet was beginning to rise, beautiful and majestic, an awe-inspiring sight.

Earth.

At least the planet that would come to be known as Earth.

"Such a boring planet." Discord shook his head.

He cocked his head as he stared over it, watching the strands of time passing by in front of him.

"What makes you so important?" He pondered, scratching his chin.

Discord studied the planet, peering through the veil of time to the strands of knowledge that hid beneath. His eyes widened at the revelation that appeared instantly to him.

"Oh!" He smiled in understanding. "That's why. Yes... Yes, I can work with that."

He snapped his fingers and disappeared.

###

Discord appeared miles above the surface of Mindoir, looking up at the sky just in time to see the raider's ships begin to descend through the atmosphere, flames licking at their kinetic barriers as they opened fire on the city below. Discord shook his head at the violence, but he made no move to stop them.

"So primitive," he muttered sadly.

Turning from the violence, Discord snapped his fingers.

###

A dense Fog rolled across the forest floor, and tall trees rose up to meet the sky, skeletal and bare of their leaves. Riley found herself standing in the middle of the forest, dressed in her bloody and torn clothes from Mindoir.

"The Harvest. Countless cycles and countless lives."

A heavy voice, thick and powerful echoed through the forest, seeming to come from both nowhere and everywhere at once. Rily clutched at her ears, trying to block the voice out, tears welling in her eyes.

"Die you stupid bitch!" Another voice rang out, intimately familiar. The voice of the Batarian that killed her family.

"Hide, Riley!" Her mother's voice echoed harshly through the trees. Riley dropped to the ground, terror gripping at her heart. "Whatever happens, whatever you see, don't make a sound. I love you, sweetheart."

Stumbling up, Riley ran through the forest, tears streaming down her face. Dark shadows followed her, never moving but always just behind her. Specters of fear and death, faceless, but their eyes were always on her.

"No!" RIley shouted, clutching her hands over her ears. "No! No! NO!"

"You will do." The first voice rang out again, deeper, sounding pleased in its own, dark way. "There is strength inside you, and they will learn to fear it."

"Enough," A new voice said, coming from behind her. It didn't echo like all the others, nor did it sound as menacing.

Riley stopped, turning as the forest fell away, leaving nothing but a white expanse behind. She found herself face to face with a tall creature, vaguely serpentine, but like someone had just mashed whatever pieces of animals they had on hand together to make a new being.

Her heart started to pound in her chest. The moment that she laid eyes on him, her eyes widened and she screamed. Rushing forward, the creature put a paw over her mouth, perfectly silencing her.

"Ah, ah. None of that," the Creature spoke again. Sighing dramatically, he placed a claw to his forehead. "While I do so love to listen to screams of terror, we simply do not have the time."

The Creature paused, actually thinking through what he said.

"Well." He shrugged (and Riley was guessing it was he from his voice). "I say that, but whatever. We're not here to talk about me. You, however, Riley, are certainly due for a trip down the rabbits hole."

Riley raised her gun, and to her own quiet surprise, she noticed that she wasn't even a bit surprised to find that she was holding a gun, not bothering to wonder where it came from, and carefully aimed it at Discord. She fired, only to find that her gun had turned into a banana.

"None of that." The Creature tsked, wagging his finger at her. "I'm not going to hurt you, little Riley. You should try to be as courteous."

Riley glared at Discord, unable to talk.

"Oh, Don't give me that look." The Creature rolled his eyes. "I've destroyed civilizations for less."

The Creature looked Riley up and down carefully, judging her silently. "I'm going to take away my paw, and you aren't going to scream, are you?"

A moment passed, and then Riley nodded.

The moment he drew his hand away, Riley screamed as loud as she could. The Creature just rolled his eyes, snapped his fingers, and Riley's mouth disappeared.

"You promised you weren't going to scream." The Creature chided.

Riley tried to speak, but she freaked out when she found that she couldn't move her mouth. She gestured wildly, trying to get her point across. The creature just ignored her wild movements and continued on as if she was not doing anything out of the ordinary.

"Please, let me introduce myself." With a flash, he was standing on a golden pedestal, a top hat jauntily placed on his head. He gave a happy bow, keeping his eyes on Riley the entire time. "I am Discord. The spirit of Disharmony and purveyor of Chaos. Pleased to be at your service."

He jumped off the pedestal, which disappeared behind him.. Discord started to pace back and forth in front of Riley, who had edged as far away from Discord as she physically could. She was terrified, and as a young girl she knew that she had no way to fight against him.

"I am sorry to say that it was never supposed to turn out this way," Discord apologized, continuing his pacing. He shrugged finally, unwilling, unable to change. "But, needs must, and even I cannot fight against this inevitability."

"Little Riley," He stopped and turned to look at her. "You aren't even aware the looking glass exists. I am sorry that I am the one who has to break you from your little delusion, but, here we go."

Stepping forward, Discord placed a single claw against Riley's forehead.

It was too much for her already fragile mind to take and she crumpled to the ground.

###

Prism sat on his haunches in the medical bay onboard the SSV Olympus. His wing had been bandaged and a cast was tightly wrapped over it and his barrel. Looking around the med-bay, he looked over the survivors of the raid on Mindoir. The worst of the worst had been brought onboard as soon as the Systems Alliance had pacified the city.

The door to the med-bay hissed open and Prism didn't bother to turn and look as someone entered, far too wrapped up in his own thoughts to hear anyone as they came in. He was already too focussed on ignoring the dull pain sluggishly passing through his veins to keep track of everyone who came and went through the med-bay.

"What is it?" Star Glow asked as she sat down at his side.

"Ma'am!" Prism startled when she spoke, noticing for the first time that she was standing next to him. "Sorry, I didn't notice you come in."

"It's alright, Prism." She laughed at his expression, shaking her head. Looking down at his bandaged side, she winced in sympathy. "How's your wing?"

"It's..." Prism looked down at the bandages, frowning at them. "It doesn't look good. The doctors aren't... optimistic. I might fly again, but I don't think I'll ever be Wonderbolts material again."

Star was silent for a long moment, unsure of what to say after that revelation.

"What's got you so out of sorts?" She asked, deciding to ignore the other topic all together.

Prism took a long look at Star before pointing at a bed a few spaces down.

"What, a girl?" Star asked as she followed his hoof. A young red-headed human lay asleep on the bed.

"She watched her entire family die." Prism nodded, biting his lip. "I saved her. Kept the Batarians from killing her too... or worse."

Star pushed his shoulder lightly, smiling. "You're a regular hero, aren't you Prism?"

"Yeah..." Prism grimaced, shaking his head.

"Oh no." Star groaned, knowing Prism and the way that his mind worked. "No, Prism. I know what you're thinking. Firefly will never go for it."

"Maybe. Maybe not." Prism shrugged. He turned to look at Star with a grim smile on his face. "But I won't know unless I try."

"Prism-" Star pleaded, unsure of what she was asking for, but knowing that she had to make at least some gesture of protest.

"AHH!"

Riley shot up off of her bed, a terrified expression on her face as she flailed violently. It was clear on her face that she had no clue where she was or what was going on, just that adrenaline was pumping through her body and that her entire life had completely crashed down around her.

"Hey!" Prism rushed over to her side. He reared up and put his forehooves on the bed. "Hey, it's alright. You're alright. You're safe."

Riley looked at him, having no idea who he was, but his words had a calming effect on her. She reached out and grabbed his hoof desperately, and before he knew it, he found that they were both moving forward into a desperate hug.

A minute passed and Riley started to nod off, still exhausted beyond all belief. She fell asleep in Prism's forelegs, still shaking occasionally in terror.

Prism sent a meaningful look to Star, who was watching them with careful eyes. With a nod, she turned away and left the room.

###

The Olympus was a massive ship. While it might not have been the largest in the galaxy, it far outclassed anything that Equestria had put out so far. Stopping in front of the Captain's chambers door, Easyglider straightened his coat, taking a calming breath.

Lifting a hoof, he knocked.

"Enter." A muffled reply reached his ears.

Easyglider stepped into the Captain's room, giving a polite nod to Captain Ethan Tyler, the Commander of the Olympus who was waiting for him behind his desk.

"Captain." Easyglider gave him a respectful salute.

"Commander." Tyler saluted right back, a warm smile on his face. "Thank you for the assist today. Things could have been a lot worse if you weren't there."

"I'm just happy we were able to help." He gave a warm smile. Easyglider sat down in one of the two chairs before Tyler's desk.

"Not that I am complaining, but I was under the impression that the Wonderbolts were purely a flight show." Tyler looked at Easyglider calmly, interested in the answer.

"Technically, we are." Easyglider grinned, nodding his head. "We are part of the Royal Guard though, and we all receive combat training. The Wonderbolts never leave Equestria without our weapons. Slim though the chance may be, we may have to act on the Princesses orders at any moment."

"I did not know that." Captain Tyler nodded in understanding. His face grew grim and he took a deep breath. "I don't know what we would have done if you hadn't shown up. Even with your help, we still lost near ten thousand colonists... at least that was the count last I checked."

"So many..." Easyglider sat back in his seat, horrified. A number that high was almost incomprehensible to him. So many dead.

"Too many." Tyler nodded in agreement.

"I'm sorry that we couldn't have arrived sooner," Easyglider said, truly saddened.

"You did more than we could, Commander." Tyler waved a hand, resolving any guilt that Easyglider might have felt. "Don't blame yourself. It's the raiders who deserve all of that."

Captain Tyler stood and paced around to the front of his desk, leaning heavily against it. "I have been instructed by the Prime Minister to tell you that all of the Wonderbolts will be awarded the Star of Terra."

"That's too much!" Easyglider's eyes widened and he stood in surprise, hopping down off the chair. "We only did what anyone else would do."

"Regardless." Captain Tyler smiles at Easyglider's protest. "He feels that you deserve it. I can think of no higher honor myself."

They were both silent for a long moment as Easyglider came to terms with what what the Systems Alliance was awarding to the Wonderbolts. The highest military award that the Systems Alliance could possibly give.

"We will accept it with pride then," Easyglider said with a firm voice.

"That is all that we can ask for."


	4. Chapter Three - Breaking New Ground

Chapter Three - Breaking New Ground  
>Rainbow House, Cloudsdale, Equestria<p>

Firefly hated working with deadlines. When she had first started writing she did it for her own enjoyment and because she had a story to tell. Ten years later, and she was still writing for the love of it, but her publisher constantly checked up on her to make sure she kept her schedule. It was one of the most frustrating things that she had to deal with.

With a sigh, she continued her pacing in her office, stretching her wings one at a time. She glanced outside the window at Cloudsdale beyond, admiring the beautiful sight. She had built this room with Prism specifically for the view and it had gotten her through more than her fair share of writers block through the years. Seeing the rain factory hanging above Equestria far below was always a sight that moved her.

Cloudsdale was built to be beautiful, one of the perks of working with a building material that cost next to nothing to produce. A thousand years had gone into making it the crown jewel of Equestria, and even the factories were a sight to behold. It was during sunsets though that the rain factory truly shone. The last light of the sun would glint off the maturing rainbows and spread beautiful dancing light through the air. It always took Firefly's breath away.

With a sigh, she shook her head, focussing her thoughts. Her computer waited patiently for her to begin dictating again, ready to faithfully record everything that she said. She couldn't even imagine writing by hoof or wing anymore like writers used to before first contact. It was so much easier to just dictate to a computer or omni-tool.

"The smell of decay and danger hit Daring Do as she peered into the dimly lit entrance of the ancient temple." Firefly had long ago learned that the best way to dictate was to just speak without thinking too hard and let what would come, come. It often turned out better than if she tried to craft each sentence perfectly.

There was always editing of course.

Firefly thought about the sentence for a moment before nodding, pleased. She opened her mouth to continue, but the computer chirped, breaking her train of thought.

"Incoming call from Rainbow Prism," the computer said in its calm voice.

Firefly looked at the computer, startled. Looking over at her calendar, she checked that she hadn't forgotten the date. It had happened before, but it didn't look that was the case this time. Something was up. "Answer it."

"Answering," the computer acknowledged.

A screen appeared before her, taking up a a large portion of the wall opposite the computer. Rainbow Prism appeared in the center, larger than life. He waved at Firefly, a tired smile on his face.

"Firefly, it's great to see you." His voice sounded as tired as he looked. He sagged slightly, taking a deep breath.

"Prism!" Firefly instantly noticed his bandaged wing and gasped in concern. "Your wing! What happened?"

"There was an... A... Uh..." Prism grimaced, rotating his working wing as he looked back at the bandages and cast.

"Prism, are you alright?" She wanted to reach through the screen and wrap him up in a hug. Her husband was injured and she couldn't be there for him! "What happened? Did you crash during your show?"

"We never..."Gathering himself together, Prism nodded. "We never actually got to preform."

"What?" Firefly felt confused. Why didn't he preform? Maybe Star Glow had pushed him too far during one of their training exercises. "Why not? How did you get hurt then? Star wasn't egging you on again, was she?"

:No... No..." Prism gulped, looking around nervously. "Firefly..."

"What is it, Prism?" Firefly leaned forward, concerned, her wings shuffling in agitation. "Talk to me, please. You're scaring me."

"There was an attack on a human colony," Prism said, pushing through his discomfort. No matter how nervous he was, Firefly was his wife and he shared everything with her. "The Commander diverted us before we ever reached Thessia. We provided air support to the humans and I was..."

"You were what?" Firefly shouted, her eyes going wide as terror shot through her heart. "What the hell happened, Prism? Talk to me!"

"I was shot down," Prism said, his voice cracking. He struggled to meet Firefly's gaze. "The doctors think I'll fly again, but... they are saying I won't be able to do much more than fly in a straight line."

"Oh Celestia!" Firefly's hooves flew to her mouth as she gasped, her eyes going wide in horror. Her husbands dream had been crushed, and she was half a galaxy away, unable to hold him and comfort him. "Prism, are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Prism waved a hoof at the screen, pushing away her concern. There was nothing she could about it from Equestria after all. "We did a lot of good, saved a lot of lives... If there was any other way to let it all go... I guess this is as good of a way as any."

"When are you coming home?" She asked, feeling more useless than she had in a long while.

"I don't know, Firefly." Prism shrugged, unsure. "It sounds like the Alliance is awarding all of us medals, and..."

Firely narrowed her eyes. She knew her husband and she always knew when he didn't want to tell her something. It was his eyes. He would always look at everything but her.

"And what, Prism?" She asked carefully.

"There's a girl, Firefly." Prism sighed, ducking his head for just a moment before locking eyes with his wife.

"Prism..." Firefly said carefully.

"She was one of the colonists, and I couldn't save her family, but her mother..." Prism shook his head, as if trying to ward away dark thoughts. "Her mother asked to keep her safe."

The front door opened and Firefly's ear flicked towards it though she didn't tear her gaze from the screen.

"Mom! I'm home!" Her daughter's voice echoed through the home. Rainbow Dash only knew loud and louder, and it seemed that the six year old was stuck on louder at the moment.

"Was that Rainbow?" Prism asked, perking up.

Firefly nodded as Rainbow Dash darted into the room, bouncing up and down, bursting with energy. Her eyes lit up in delight when she saw her father on the screen. Her little blue wings buzzed in excitement as she rushed up to the screen.

"Daddy!" She shouted happily, waving a hoof wildly at him.

"How's my little Dashie?" Prism smiled, laughing and waving as his daughter hopped around happily, her wings buzzing like a bee. "Did you just get home from school? How was your day?"

"Yeah!" Dash nodded, her rainbow mane bouncing up and down as she turned to nuzzle up against her mother. "It was great! We watched a movie about Ms. Hall!"

"Really?" Prism asked, his daughter's beating away his worries. "That sounds like a lot of fun."

"It was great!" Rainbow nodded enthusiastically, punching at the air with a hoof. "Her ship crashed on the circle-"

"Sphere, Rainbow." Firefly corrected, not that Rainbow was actually listening.

"Whatever!" Rainbow stuck out her tongue before continuing with her story. "And she woke everyone up, and then Princess Celestia smashed a hole through the wall! BOOM! SMASH! CRASH!"

Rainbow rolled around the room, laughing ferociously as she punched and bounced, a little firecracker in filly form.

"That sounds wonderful darling," Firefly said as she caught Rainbow out of the air, pulling her into a hug. She set the little blue filly back on the ground. "Why don't you go get a snack. I'm just about done talking to your father, then you can tell me all about it."

"Okay, mom!" Rainbow shouted happily. She dashed out of the room towards the kitchen to find a tasty treat. Maybe there were cookies. Maybe there were juice boxes. Maybe there were both!

As soon as she was gone, Firefly turned back to Prism.

"What are you suggesting, Prism?" Firefly asked carefully. "Don't dance around the issue. Just tell me what you're thinking."

"I want to adopt her." Prism gulped, putting it all out there. "She has no one else to go to. I checked."

Firefly dropped her head, resigned. Prism didn't say anything else, letting his wife think it over.

"This is too big a decision to make right now." Firefly finally spoke, looking back up at her husband. "We don't even know if the Alliance would let us do that. There's a lot too consider. Give me some time."

"Alright." Prism nodded, grateful that it wasn't an outright no. "I love you."

"I love you too," Firefly said warmly, despite his wild request just moments before. "Call again soon, Prism."

"As soon as I can," Prism promised, waving goodbye.

The phone call ended and Firefly just staid sitting where she was for a few moments, mulling over what Prism had just told her. He wanted to adopt a girl, a human from the sounds of it. A human who had just undergone horrific trauma and watched her entire family perish before her.

Taking a deep breath, Firefly stood and left her office.

Walking into the kitchen, Firefly found Rainbow Dash sitting at the table with a large smile on her face as she drank down a box of apple juice. She waved at her mother.

"Hey mom!" She said around the straw.

"Hello, darling." Firefly sat down and watched Rainbow finish her apple-juice. She couldn't get her mind off of Prism's call. Adopting a human. It was crazy!

"Hey, Rainbow..." Firefly asked after a second.

"Yeah?" Rainbow looked up at her mother expectantly.

"How would you feel..." she trailed off, biting her lip. Shaking her head, Firefly focussed. "How would you feel about a new sister?"

Rainbow's eyes widened and she gasped at the thought, sitting back in her seat in shock. Firefly didn't know what to make of her daughter's expression.

"Is that..." Firefly asked, watching her worriedly.

"That would be..." Rainbow trailed off, stroking her chin with a hoof. "So. Awesome!"

Rainbow darted forward, eying her mother's belly suspiciously before crawling up to look her mother in the eye. "Are you preganant?"

"Pregnant, dear," Firefly said with a giggle. "And no. I'm not."

Rainbow sat back, unsure of what was going on.

"You're not pregnant?" She asked, confusion overtaking her. "Then how could I have a new sister?"

"You don't have a new sister yet, Dashie," Firefly said, calming her confusion. "I was just wondering what you think of the idea."

"Oh..." Rainbow said, scrunching her face up in confusion. "I guess I would like one... What's going on?"

"Don't worry about it, Rainbow." Firefly pulled Rainbow in for a quick wing hug, nuzzling up against her, making the little filly giggle. "You can go and play with your friends if you want."

Jumping up, Rainbow gasped in excitement. She buzzed out of the room and out of the house nearly before Firefly had even finished speaking. She could play with Fluttershy, or maybe Gilda was in town! That would be _awesome_!

Firefly stepped back into her office, sitting down in front of her computer. She saved her work and clicked out of her writing program.

"Computer," she said, her mind whirling. "What are the ticket prices to Mindoir?"

"Calculating," the computer said, searching the extranet.

Firefly waited for the computer to display the information, looking incredibly conflicted. The computer projected all of the available tickets to Mindoir. This wasn't something that she could decide from Equestria, and Prism needed her either way. She started looking over the prices for two tickets, one-way.

###

Riley woke up in a hard bed. She was disoriented for just a moment, but the reality of what had happened to her quickly rushed back. She just stared up at the ceiling, unsure of what she was supposed to do now that her life was ruined.

Hearing a small squeak, Riley looked over to find a pony sitting on a chair in the corner, reading something on a glowing omni-tool. He had wings, a pegasus, Riley realized.

Catching the movement from the corner of his eyes, the pony looked up. He is slightly surprised to find her awake, but is quick to give her a warm smile.

"You're awake!" He said happily, getting up out of his chair. "Good morning."

"Hey..." Riley stared at him for a moment before giving him a slow nod in greeting.

The pegasus looked curious about her lack of response before understanding dawned on him.

"Oh!" He said, smacking a hoof against his forehead. "I'm sorry. You have no idea who I am do you?"

Riley shook her head. She had no idea who he was.

"Please, forgive me." With a laugh, Prism held out a hoof for her to shake. "My name is Rainbow Prism, Wonderbolt."

"Wonder what?" Riley asked, cocking her head in confusion.

"Wonderbolt." Prism proudly stated. "We're part of Equestria's premiere guard. We were on our way to preform on Thessia when we got the distress call."

"Oh..." Riley bit her lip, looking away from Prism.

"Sorry." Prism grimaced, glancing away in embarrassment. He cleared his throat and turned back.

"It's fine," Riley mumbled, staring down at her bedsheets. "Thanks... Thanks for saving me."

"It's alright." With a small smile, Prism shook his head. He rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "I'm just sorry that I couldn't save your mother as well."

That killed the conversation. Prism grumbled to himself, angry at how nervous he was acting and the stupid things it was making him say.

"I'm sorry," he said after several long seconds. "I'm not usually so blunt and stupid sounding."

Riley giggled softly, and it brought a smile to Prism's face. He hadn't pushed her away.

"You're kind of funny, in a dorky sort of way," Riley mumbled, giving him a small smile.

"I'm glad I amuse you." Prism bowed to her, holding out a hoof. "I'll be here all week. Make sure to catch my nightly shows!"

Riley giggled again at his stupid joke. He was just happy that he is able to make her smile even after everything horrible that had happened to her. She was a kind girl and he could already see her being happy living in his family.


	5. Chapter Four - Conversations in Blue

Chapter Four - Conversations in Blue  
><span>Thessian Transport Ship, Firefly's Room, In Transit

If there was a way to travel between Equestria and the Citadel in style, the Wave Runner was it. An Asari space-liner, it had been built only a year ago, for the sole purpose of ferrying people to the out of the way planet. With room for over four thousand passengers, the Wave Runner was the height of luxury and speed.

It had also been the only ship scheduled to depart Equestria anytime that month. Firefly had no other choice than to book two tickets immediately and leave that night. They would be catching a connecting flight to Mindoir from the Citadel.

Rainbow sat impatiently on her bed in the small cabin, watching her mother sleep quietly on the bed opposite her. The room was nicely appointed, beautiful and graceful just like the Asari, but that held no interest for Rainbow as she fidgeted anxiously. She was hungry, she was bored, and she wanted to get out of the stupid room and do something! Her mom had been sleeping the entire night, and she tried to watch something on the holo-screen but nothing good was on. Just some stupid movie about Turians and Quarians, and that had quickly lost her interest as soon as the kissing had started.

Rainbow scrunched her face up at the thought. Kissing was gross. She would never do something as uncool as that!

"Mom." Rainbow whined, staring at her mother's form under the covers.

Nothing. Firefly's ears didn't so much as twitch. Rainbow watched her carefully, not blinking as she leaned forward.

"Mom." Rainbow tried again, stomping a hoof down on the covers. Firefly didn't so much as groan at her voice. Narrowing her eyes, she tried again. "Mom. Wake up, mom."

Still nothing. How dare she ignore Rainbow's boredom!

With a huff of annoyance, Rainbow jumped off her bed to the floor. She bounced over to her mothers bed, flapping her wings to lift her up so she could put her forelegs up on the stared at Firefly with narrowed eyes.

"Mom," Rainbow said, louder this time. "Wake up mom. I'm hungry."

Firefly's ear twitched but she made no other move, snoring softly, fast asleep.

"Mooommmmmm," Rainbow whined, dropping her head sideways onto the mattress. She looked up at her mother desperately, her stomach gurgling in protest.

Firefly groaned, rolling over under her covers away from Rainbow. She grabbed one of her pillow and dropped it over her head.

"Mom." Rainbow glared at her before jumping up onto the bed. Stepping carefully over the mattress, she started poking her mom with her hoof. "Mom. Mom. Mom. Mom. Mom."

"WHAT?" Firefly sat up in her bed, glaring down at Rainbow, who smiled up at her innocently.

"I'm hungry..." Rainbow said, sitting down on her haunches. "And I'm bored. Hungry and bored. Let's go do something."

Firefly sighed, dropping her head in acceptance. "... fine. Fine."

Pushing her covers off, Firefly stood on her bed, stretching her wings as she cracked her neck. "Come on, Dashie. Let's go get something to eat."

###

Firefly led Rainbow into the large buffet open around the clock. The ship held Thessian time, and Firefly still found herself confused on hours, so she just tended to ignore it and continue on like she was on Equestira. The buffet was about half-full, with the majority of its occupants being Asari. The rest were either bond-mates to said Asari, or the rare pony who had business off of Equestria, the Wave Runner being the quickest option available to them to get off planet.

Rainbow grabbed a plate from a stack, scurrying towards the rows of food laid out before her, eyes wide and stomach growling. Before she could make a mess, Firefly put a hoof on her back, stopping her.

"Let me help you, Dashie," Firefly said with a smile.

"Fine..." Rainbow rolled her eyes and gave a little huff, but she didn't put up a huge amount of protest. She looked over the massive amount of food, ignoring anything that contained meat. Thankfully, being a ship that solely made trips too and from Equestria, the Wave Rider was fit for the ponies vegetarian diet.

As Rainbow pointed with her free hoof, Firefly helped her to put what she wanted onto her plate. Some fruit slices. A slice of cake. An appetizing looking Thessian vegetarian dish that was drizzled with an awesome looking red sauce. Rainbow's hungry stomach was ready to feast!

"Your daughter is beautiful!"

Firefly managed to not startle, and she turned to find a tall Asari smiling down at her. She had Turian markings painted onto her face, and her eyes were a little too wide to keep Firefly from wanting to scurry away. A young Turian female, her bondmate Firefly guessed, stood a few feet away, watching her wife with a look of long-suffering.

"Thank you," Firefly murmured, unsure of fully how to react around aliens. She had never actually interacted with any.

Firefly gives the Asari a cautious look, subtly making sure that she was between her and Rainbow. It never hurt to take precautions. At least that's what writing the Daring Doo series had taught her. Always be prepared.

"Please." With a sigh of long suffering, the Turian stepped forwards, an apologetic look on her face. "Forgive my bondmate. She has no filter and tends to creep everyone out."

"It's alright." Firefly gave her a small smile, still guarded.

"Really, she's harmless." The Turian tried again, sensing that Firefly wasn't quite feeling her sincerity.

"Siti!" The Asari slapped the Turian's arm and gave a gasp of protest.

"Oh hush." The Turian waved her away, laughing quietly.

"You're all pointy," Rainbow spoke up for the first time. She had somehow managed to move forward without Firefly noticing, standing at the Turian's feet as she stared up at her with awe. The three adults looked down to see Rainbow looking her over curiously. She had never seen a Turian before in her life and the strange exo-skeletal look was intriguing her.

"Rainbow Dash!" Firefly blushed, embarrassment rushing through her at Rainbow's rude question.

The Turian and Asari giggled at Rainbows naive innocence, sharing a look with each other.

"It's fine!" The Turian turned and smiled at Firefly, reassuring her. She knelt down to be on Rainbow's level, holding out an arm for Rainbow to look at, her vest sleeveless. "Really, it's true. I am indeed very pointy."

Rainbow poked it with her hoof before looking back up at the Turian. "It feels like my hoof!"

She held her hoof up for her to see. Indeed, there was quite a bit of similarities between her hoof and the Turian's exo-skeleton.

"It certainly does, doesn't it?" The Turian giggled, standing back up and putting an arm around her bond-mate.

"Please, forgive her." Firefly stepped forward, gently pulling Rainbow back, blushing as she did so. She was incredibly embarrassed at Rainbow's inquisitive but racially charged comments. "She's a curious little filly."

"Really, I was being honest." The Turian waved her worry away, leaning her head onto her wife's shoulder. "It's no problem."

Bored of the conversation already, Rainbow took her plate and started searching for a table. There weren't a lot left, the room having filled up during their brief conversation. The Asari immediately saw the problem and stepped forward, smiling.

"We won't be offended if you decline," she quickly explained, addressing Firefly. "But we have a table if you'd want to come and sit with us."

Firefly glanced at Rainbow, who was smiling up at her in excitement, her wings buzzing. She looked up at her mom with big, wide, pleading eyes.

"Can we, mom?" She bounced a little while she did so, careful not to spill her plate.

Firefly thought about it for a moment before giving a nod.

"We would be delighted," she said, accepting the Asari's offer.

The Asari led the way, taking her wife by the hand and leading Firefly and Rainbow (who was walking three legged as she balanced her plate on her fourth hoof) through the confusing labyrinth of people and tables.

The table that they were led to already had two other occupants sitting, waiting for their companions to rejoin them. Both were Asari, sitting and chatting quietly as they sipped at some type of wine that Firefly didn't recognize. It must have been a Thessian vintage. They greeted the Turian and the Asari with smiles as they sat down.

"Veisha, Atheyta, these two fine ladies are going to be joining us," the Asari said, gesturing at both in turn.

"My name is Esra," She gestured between herself and the Turian, who gave a little wave. "And this is my wife, Sitiira."

"Veisha is an architect, and one of our best friends." Sitiira gestured at Veisha and Atheyta respectively. "And she is Atheyta. She's on her way to the Citadel."

"Hello." Veisha gave a wave to Rainbow, making the little filly giggle.

"Hey there, kiddo." Atheyta nodded, giving Rainbow a warm smile. Her voice was deep and husky. "Love the rainbow."

"Thanks!" Rainbow swung her mane back and forth before turning to her plate, eating a slice of pineapple happily.

"My name is Firefly." The pink mare gestured at herself before pointing to her daughter. "And this is my daughter Rainbow Dash."

There was a moment of silence as everyone at the table tried to figure out what to say to each other. Rainbow was completely oblivious to the matter, too busy picking through her plate.

The cake would be saved for last after all.

"What exactly are you doing on an Asari ship so far from home?" Like the woman she was, Atheyta breaks the ice.

"I'm going to meet my husband on Mindoir," Firefly said, looking around the room.

"Mindoir," Atheyta drawled.

Atheyta, Veisha, Sitiira, and Esra all shared a glance with each other.

"Yeah." Firefly grimaced, understanding what they were saying to each other.

"You do know what is happening on Mindoir, right?" Veisha asked, watching Firefly carefully.

"I do." Firefly nodded her head. "He was part of the first military force on site."

"Military force? Sitiira's eyes widened and she looked at Firefly. As a Turian, she had been drafted just like the rest of her race at the age of fifteen to serve the Hierarchy. The Turians were the largest and most formidable military service in the galaxy, and that was largely in part to their need to protect the few dextro-amino garden worlds that existed, few and far between. "I didn't know that Equestria had any military force outside of your Royal Guard."

"It's an unfortunante necessity of moving out into the galaxy at large." Firefly nodded sadly. "My husband is a part of the Wonderbolts."

"The Wonderbolts!" Esra gave a happy cry, bouncing up and down in her seat excitedly. She clapped, nudging Sitiira with her elbow. "I know them! We're going to see them when they preform on Palaven!"

"I wasn't aware that the Wonderbolts fulfilled a military role," Sitiira said, impressed.

"We've all been forced to move outside of our comfort zones." Firefly nodded her head.

"You've told us what your husband does," Atheyta said, noticing Firefly's uncomfortableness with the conversation and tactfully changed it. "But what do you do for a living?"

"I'm an author!" Firefly smiled, much happier with this question than the last one.

"Oh?" Veisha asked, leaning forward excitedly. "Do you have any books published?"

"A few." Firefly nodded, smiling at her memories of her writing achievements through the years.

"Anything we would know?" Veisha asked.

"Maybe." Firefly shrugged. She had never followed the release of her books beyond Equestria. "I write adventure novels about a young, daring archeologist. I don't think there have been many sales outside of the sphere."

"Too bad." Atheyta nodded, downing her entire glass of wine. "We could always use more adventures."

"What do you do, Atheyta?" Firefly looked over Atheyta curiously.

"Ah, well..." Atheyta smiled, looking up at the ceiling. She waved her hand slowly in a circle. "I'm something of a wanderer. I guess you could say that I'm between jobs at the moment. When I find something that amuses me,I guess I'll settle down."

"Is there anything in particular you would like to do?" Firefly asked, wondering just what made the woman tick."

"Something close to my daughter." She didn't have to think long about it, giving a small smile at the idea.

"Oh? You have children?" Firefly asked, leaning forward. They had something in common there. Rainbow was one of the happiest parts of her life, and she wouldn't want to be separated from her for anything.

"A few." Atheyta nodded, her eyes going distant as memories of the past floated through her mind. "They're all grown and living their own lives, but I guess I just want to make sure my youngest is living a happy life."

"That's sweet," Firefly cooed, the thought making her heart flutter.

"Yeah..." Atheyta grumbled ever so slightly, glaring down at the table. "Just don't tell anyone. I've got an image to maintain.

"Your secret is safe with me." Firefly giggled into a hoof. No matter what she was thinking when she had first met this group, they were an incredibly welcoming group.

###

Firefly led Rainbow onto the observation deck, the little filly happily full and content. A sleepy expression was on her face.

"I'm tired momma," she murmured, yawning widely as her wings slumped down listlessly.

Firefly laughed, leaning down to lift Rainbow onto her back. The little filly instantly plopped down, her hooves falling down onto either side of her mother's barrel. "I know, dear, but I think you're going to want to see this first."

"See what?" Rainbow asked, perking up a little.

Firefly stopped in front of the large observation window that took up the furthest wall of the room. Rainbow looked out at it, but she didn't see anything worth remarking on, just the blackness of space.

"It's just space." Rainbow muttered, dropping her head back down. "That's boring."

"Just wait, dear." With a laugh, Firefly shook her head. "You'll see what I'm talking about."

They waited, mother and daughter sharing a moment together. Firefly pointed with a hoof when she caught a glimpse out the window.

"Rainbow, watch this," Firefly said.

Rainbow raised her head again and her eyes widened when she saw a Mass Relay come into view, the ship hurtling towards it.

The Relay grew larger and larger, and the two Equestrians get a glimpse of just how massive the Relay actually was. Its size absolutely gulfed the ship, making the Wave Rider seem pedestrian in comparison.

White blue streaks of lightning flared out from the relay, racing along the surface of the ship. Before they could even blink, the ship was hurtled towards its sister relay light-years away.

"Whoa..." Rainbow's eyes went wide, her tiredness forgotten.

"You're going faster than any Wonderbolt has ever flown, Dashie," Firefly whispered.

"Even daddy?" Rainbow asked, her amazement growing.

"Even daddy." Firefly giggled.

"Whoa..." Rainbow whispered, thoughts swirling through her head.


	6. Chapter Five - Sneaking Like a Spy!

Chapter Five - Sneaking Like a Spy  
><span>Royal Castle, Canterlot, Equestria

It often took an act of god to pull Twilight away from her studies. She would get so wrapped up in her books that she would lose track of all reality outside her own mind.

It was a good thing then that Princess Celestia was considered a minor deity by quite a few species in the galaxy. A quiet word from her and Twilight would instantly snap back to the real world, if under protest.

Like most every night, this had happened to be the case. She would forget to eat if Celestia never came to check on her. Brilliant though she might be, her smarts came along with a large case of obliviousness.

Celestia entered the dining room with a small smile on her face. She was followed by a sulking Twilight, her head low to the ground, book free and more than a little cross about it. The dining room wasn't the largest, with a table large enough to seat six at the most taking up the center. It was the Princesses private dining room, and it was also one of the few places that the Royal sisters could let loose and be themselves.

Luna was already seated at the table, sipping at a cup of coffee as she looked over the nightly newspaper on her omni-tool. Hearing their entrance, she looked up and gives a tired smile to the two of them.

"Good evening, sister," Luna said, giving a short nod in greeting. She turned her attention to the filly following Celestia, giving her a smile as well. "Twilight."

Twilight grumbled as she climbed up into her chair, dropping her head onto her hooves. Celestia and Luna shared a small smile at her grumpiness.

"She is disappointed that I did not allow her to bring her book to dinner," Celestia explained with a knowing look to Luna.

"I was at a very important spot!" Twilight didn't lift her head as she spoke, her forelegs muffling her voice. "It was a matter of life and death!"

Celestia smiled as a waiter entered, pushing a tea cart. He poured her a cup of tea.

"Daring Doo will wait until tomorrow, Twilight." Celestia took a sip of her tea, enjoying the warm steam as it wafted over her nose.

"Life and death, Princess!"Twilight groaned, sitting up and gesturing wildly. She barely avoided toppling out of her chair.

"And I am sure that you will stay up tonight and read under your covers." Setting down her tea, Celestia stretched her wings as she let out a yawn. "Right now though, it is dinner time."

"Fine," she grumbled. Sitting up in her seat, Twilight scowled to the side.

The waiter entered the room, pushing a larger tray with three trays arrayed on top, their dinner. Quickly, the waiter set the plates before the Princesses and the student. Pulling away the covers, he revealed two beautifully prepared and tasty looking strawberry salads for Celestia and Twilight, and eggs, toast, and hash browns for Luna (it was her breakfast after all).

"It looks absolutely marvelous," Celestia complimented, taking a bite. "Please give my compliments to the chef."

With a grateful bow, the Waiter thanked her before backing up and leaving the room after quickly refilling their drinks.

Luna took a drink from her cup, but nearly spit it out again as she read her omni-tool She looked worriedly over at Celestia, holding it up for her to see.

"Tia," Luna spoke with an urgent voice.

Catching her meaning, Celestia opened her own omni-tool, quickly reading what was waiting for her within. Her own eyes widened and she looked up at Luna, who was levitating her plate with her as she walked towards the exit.

"Please forgive my rudeness." Luna didn't sound sorry, her voice distracted. "There are matters I must attend to. Tia, will you contact the Commander after dinner? I will be busy preparing aid and supplies."

"Of course, sister." With a nod of her head, Celestia waved Luna goodbye. "You needn't ask."

"Thank you." Luna took a bite of her eggs as she walked out of the room. She downed her toast as fast as she was physically able to.

As the door shuts behind the lunar Princess, Twilight looked up at Celestia in confusion, chewing then swallowing her salad before speaking.

"Princess Celestia, what's wrong?" She cocked her head in confusion.

"Nothing you need to worry about, Twilight." Celestia inwardly wished that her student was a bit less attentive when not absorbed in her books, but she quickly shook that thought away. Twilight was perfect just the way she was. Instead, she smiled at her young student. "Why don't you tell me why you love this Daring Doo so much."

"Where do I start?!" Twilight's eyes widened and she gasped, sitting up excitedly. She slammed her hooves down onto the table as she squealed in glee.

Twilight began a long explanation about why Daring Doo was simply the best archeologist ever and how she deserved to be awarded the highest honor in Equestria for her service to the crown. There were flow-charts and everything. Never let it be said that Twilight Sparkle was ever unprepared.

Celestia listened to the whole conversation, interjecting her own points at the right moment. It was her duty after all to make Twilight think harder about what she was actually saying. As her personal student, Celestia had her own duties to ensure that the filly learned everything she possibly could.

Finishing their dinner, Celestia stood. She smiled down at Twilight.

"I think its time for bed for you, Twilight." Celestia took Twilight under her wing as she led her to the door.

Twilight managed to only look disappointed for just a moment before brightening again when she realized she could still 'sneak' in the rest of her Daring Doo book under the covers.

'Okay, Princess," Twilight muttered, leaning in closer against her mentor.

###

Celestia entered her room, taking a deep breath and slumping down as soon as the doors closed behind her. She quickly levitated her crown and her collar and dropped them down gratefully onto their stand. She loved being the everlasting sun, keeping watch over her little ponies, but it was tiring sometimes. Over her three-thousand years (give or take a few hundred million years) as Princess, she learned that it was always the best to let her mane down whenever she could

Tiredly, she moved to stand in front of her desk slumping down for a moment as she stared into her mirror.

"You look tired, Celestia," she murmured, blinking her eyes tiredly.

She stared a moment longer before shaking her head. Straightening up, Celestia activated the holo-display on her desk. A rather large keyboard appeared, solid, instead of holographic. As a pony, she had found it rather difficult to use the semi-solid hard-light interfaces that the other races had seemed to solely adopt.

Typing in a quick command, Celestia activated the communications. She magically projected her crown and collar on, not wanting to put on the real thing because of their weight.

A moment passed as the holo-display connected with Equestria's communication network, and to the Comm Buoys outside of the Dyson Sphere. The ability to be able to talk to someone hundreds of light-years away was something that still impressed her when she thought about it.

On the screen, a pegasus officer with lieutenant bars on his uniform appeared on the screen. Seeing Celestia, he gave a quick but respectful bow when he realized who it was.

"Princess Celestia!" He saluted, then gave a deep, respectful bow.

"I need to speak with Commander Easyglider," Celestia said, nodding her acceptance of his salute.

"Of course, Princess!" The Lieutenant disappeared and the Wonderbolts sigil appeared on the screen, slowly spinning as waiting music played. Celestia breathed evenly as she waited.

A soft chime indicated the connecting call and Celestia straightened, coughing to clear her throat. Commander Easyglider appeared, from his office on the Wonderbolts ship. He saluted the moment that he saw Celestia.

"Princess Celestia!" He exclaimed, eyes going wide.

"Commander." Celestia greeted respectfully. Easyglider was one of her most trusted soldiers, one the revolutionaries that was dragging Equestria into modernity. "I understand that you and your team has gone through quite an ordeal."

"Yes, your highness." Easyglider nodded. "On route to Thessia, we picked up a distress beacon from one of the Alliance's colony planets."

Celestia nodded in understanding. It was exactly the way she wanted soldiers working for her to act.

"We diverted and provided support against Raiders who were taking colonists as slaves," Easyglider explained professionally. "We only had one casualty, no fatalities, and we managed to keep the Raiders at bay long enough for the Alliance arrive.:

"Good, Commander." Celestia felt warmth in her chest. She was proud of him. "Tell your team that the Princesses are proud of their actions."

"I will, Your Highness." Easyglider smiled, breaking his professional attitude.

"You said you had a casualty?" Celestia asked. "What happened? Are they okay?"

"Rainbow Prism, your Highness." Easyglider winces. It had been a lucky shot, but none the less, it had destroyed a kids dreams. "He's a new recruit. One of the raiders got in a lucky shot and broke his wing. He'll be able to fly again, but our medics don't believe he will ever be able to preform with us again."

"That is unfortunate, Commander." Biting her lip, Celestia looked away as she let her mind work through the issue. "Please let him know that I will make sure he is rewarded for his actions."

"I will, your Highness." Easyglider saluted again before disconnecting the call.

###

"And for the first time in a long time, Daring had a good night's sleep. Another day, another victory." Twilight was sitting under her covers, reading the last page of her novel using her horn's magic to light it.

"Whoa..." Shutting the book, Twilight looked up with her eyes wide. "That was a good book!"

She was still for a moment before pulling the covers off over her head. She extinguished her horn, set her book on the nightstand next to her and laid back in her bed. That had been a good book, and she couldn't wait until the next book was published!

Twilight closed her eyes, trying to get to sleep.

A moment passed... her stomach rumbled.

Twilight cracked open an eye, looking down at her grumbling tummy.

"Quiet!" She whispered, hushing her stomach with a shush.

Defiantly, her tummy rumbled again. Twilight groaned, pondering what she should do for a moment, but her mind was quickly made up.

"Fine!" She rolled her eyes, glaring at her tummy. "Quiet! I shall feed you, you ravening beast."

Rolling out of her bed, Twilight dropped to the floor with a near silent thump. She paused for a minute, waiting to see if any of the guard was going to burst through her door, demanding that she get back in bed.

When that didn't happen (but she was still prepared), she crept as silently as possible towards the door.

Her stomach rumbled again.

"I'm going!" Twilight protested, stomping a hoof defiantly on the ground.

She clapped her hooves over her mouth when she realized that she didn't whisper. A moment of cautious waiting didn't herald the arrival of the Royal Guard and she relaxed with a sigh.

Stepping up to the door, Twilight opened it and slipped out into the hallway.

Twilight crept down the hall on the tips of her hooves. She looked left, then right. She was just like acting like that spy in the movie Shining Armor had shown her last weekend.

Her stomach rumbled and she froze, but when no-pony came and threw her in chains she nervously continued on.

Twilight crept into the Royal Kitchen, the door opening on silent hinges. The workers in the castle were always sure to keep the castle beautifully maintained. Only a single one of the chefs was on duty, and he was tiredly keeping watch over an oven cooking something tasty, reading a magazine.

Getting down low, Twilight slunk through the kitchen towards the pastry cupboard. The Chef was oblivious.

Opening the cupboard, Twilight turned to watch the Chef in case he spied her in her mission. He didn't move, starting to nod off.

Reaching into the cupboard, Twilight grabbed two cupcakes, resting them protectively on her back. Ever so slowly, she turned and crept out of the room.

Shutting the door behind herself, Twilight gave a little squeal of glee at her successful kitchen raid. She started prancing, silently of course, as she headed back down the hallway towards her tower.

Picking one of the cupcakes off of her back with her magic, Twilight took a big bite, grinning in her triumph.

"Twilight Sparkle."

Twilight tripped over her hooves and she hit the floor with an oof. Looking up, she found Luna standing over her with an amused smile.

"P-P-Princess Luna!" Twilight blushed, rubbing her hooves nervously together. "I didn't see you there."

"We figured as much, Twilight." Luna smirked down at the filly. "Are you not supposed to be in bed?"

"I got hungry, Princess!" Grinning sheepishly, Twilight rolled over and rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment. She grimaced when she found that her mane was covered in smushed cupcake. She curled up on herself on the floor, anxiety rushing through her. "Please don't throw me into prison!"

"Do not fret, Twilight." Luna giggled at Twilight's adorably scared expression. "We understand the need for late night munchies. In fact, that is were we were headed before we ran into you."

"But wouldn't that just be a snack, Princess?" Twilight sat back, not so afraid as she was moments ago. "You're the Princess of the Night!"

"Yes," Luna nodded, smiling at the filly. "And because of that, midnight snacks for me usually occur at lunchtime for the rest of Equestria."

"I didn't know that!" Twilight giggled at that bit of information.

"It is a closely guarded secret." Luna smiled down at Twilight and held out a hoof for her to take. "I do not believe that all of Equestria needs to know that I eat copious amounts of cake at lunch."

"But I've never seen you at lunch time!" Twilight protested, her mind spinning.

"Indeed." Luna nodded. "I take my midday snack in my room. Tia sometimes joins me."

"Now come, Twilight." Taking Twilight by the hoof, Luna started leading her back to her tower. "It is time that you get back to bed."


	7. Chapter Six - Quiet Conversations

Chapter Six - Quiet Conversations  
><span>Wonderbolts Ship, Mindoir Orbit

The doctors had done a top-notch job of fixing Rainbow Prism up after the battle was over. They had bandaged up his wing and applied a cast, and put him on a rather generous dose of pain medication that had made him a bit loopy and tired. He lay asleep on his bed, resting on the non-bandaged part of his body in his room. He snored softly.

A sharp knock at the door woke him from his light slumber.

Sitting up, Prism blinked tiredly, rubbing sleep away with a hoof. He was disoriented for several seconds, feeling like he was falling, but that sensation disappeared quickly as awareness returned to him. Whoever was outside knocked again. Getting up out of bed, Prism grumbled to himself as he walked to the door.

"Better be something important," he muttered, almost tripping over his uniform that he had dropped on the floor the night before.

Slapping the open button, Prism glared as the door slid open. "What do you..."

He trailed off and his jaw dropped open ever so slightly (he would later claim that it was the drugs and not surprise that made him look so foolish) when he found Firefly and Rainbow Dash smiling on the other side of his door.

"What-" He couldn't believe his eyes. The drugs had to be making him hallucinate.

"Daddy!" Rainbow leaped up off the ground, shouting at the top of her little lungs. She darted forward, wrapping Prism in a big hug before crawling up on top of his head, sprawling over it like a perch. He smiled up at her, still feeling confused but he decided to just roll with it.

"Hey there, little Dashie," Prism said, looking up at his daughter.

"Hi there." Firefly walked forward, giving her husband a sultry smile and a sway in her step.

"Hi yourself," Prism drawled, not understanding but seeing his wife looking at him with loving attention made the sharp pain in his wing disappear. He kissed her tenderly, putting all of his affection and emotions into it as he could. Pulling back he looked at her with a confused smile. "What are you two doing all the way out here? I thought your editor was forcing you to finish your new book."

"I couldn't exactly just wait at home after our last conversation." Firefly rolled her eyes, stepping into his room. She looked around, taking in the slight mess that he had made the night before as he had tried to get into bed. Working with only one wing and high on drugs was not the best way to get ready for bed. "It sounds like we have some things to talk about."

She leaned closer, eying him seriously. "Some important things."

"Yeah." Prism nodded, glancing down at the ground. He ignored Rainbow as she shifted on top of his head, trying to get more comfortable. "Yeah, we do. Later though. Let's take care of this one first."

"Hey there, buddy." He looked up and smiled at Rainbow Dash, who was making funny noises as she bounced her head about. "How was your trip?"

"It. Was. Great!" Rainbow exclaimed, looking up excitedly as her wings buzzed. "I met an Asari, and she was all GRRR. I'm half Krogan so I headbutt people when I get angry!"

"She's all Pow!" Rainbow jumped off Prisms head, headbutting the air as she punched at the air dramatically. "Whoosh! Ker-Bam!"

Prism and Firefly laughed, and Prism picked Rainbow out of the air, putting her back on top his head.

"Come on, little buddy," Prism said. "Let's go find Star. I'm sure that she'll love to see you!"

"Yeah!" Rainbow cheered, pumping a fist in excitement. "Star Glow!"

Prism led Firefly and Rainbow back out into the hallway, shutting the door to his room behind him. Taking it slow, he led them down the hall and stopped in front of an identical door. Raising his hoof, he knocked four short times.

A moment passed and then the door opened with a hiss to reveal Star Glow, looking half asleep on her hooves. Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw Rainbow and Firefly.

"Auntie Star!" Rainbow exclaimed.

"Rainbow!" Star caught Rainbow as she leapt at her in a hug, confused but happy all the same to see her. "What a surprise. What are you doing here you silly filly."

"Momma was missing Daddy and decided that she wanted to come see him." She looked up questioningly at Prism and Firefly as she said this, before giving a firm nod. "So we did!"

"Prism and I have some things that we need to talk about." Firefly smiled, blushing as she took over from her daughter's explanation. "Not the type of stuff you can do over a comm-link halfway across the galaxy."

"Right." Star nodded, getting it. She set Rainbow down and turned her attention fully on the two older Pegasi. "Do you want me to watch the little rascal while you two hash this out?"

"You would be doing us a huge favor, Star," Prism said with a sigh of relief. "Thank you."

"Eh." Star shrugged. "It's not a problem."

"What do you say, Dashie." Putting a hoof on Rainbow's back, Star led her out into the hall. "Want to go get something to eat?"

"Do I!" Rainbow looked up at Star with wide eyes and a wider smile.

"Well, come on!" Star led Rainbow away, the little filly practically bouncing out of her coat at the thought of food. "The cafeteria is this way."

When they turned the corner out of sight, Prism turned to Firefly and gestured back down the hall with his hoof.

"Come on," he said. "We can go talk in my room."

"Alright." Firefly followed after him without protest.

Prism led Firefly back to his room and they both sat on his bed, curling up next to each other. Prism nuzzled Firefly and leaned into her side, sighing in relief. It was good to be at her side again.

"You said that you wanted to adopt a human girl," Firefly finally said after several minutes of silence.

"Yeah." Prism nodded.

They both went silent again for several long minutes. Neither was quite sure what to say about that. Prism wasn't sure that he could actually put into words his feelings for the human girl that he had saved. Firefly was just generally unsure of what she felt at all about the whole matter.

"Tell me about her." Firefly was the first to break the silence.

"She's an orphan now," Prism said, rubbing a hoof against the comforter of his bed. "After I was shot down, I saved her from being captured by raiders. I held her mother as she died, and she made me promise to look after her."

Firefly thought about that for a moment, chewing absentmindedly on her lip. She blew her mane out of her eye before speaking. "What's her name?"

"Riley." Prism had looked up everything that he could about the girl. Sadly, quite a bit of the records on her had been destroyed when raiders blew up the town hall of New Denver. Still, he had looked at everything that he could get his hands on. "Riley Jane Shepard."

"What is it about this girl that is making you so keen on adopting her?" Firefly asked calmly, leaning her head back against her husbands.

"There's..." Prism thought about what he wanted to say, closing his eyes. "There's something about her. A strength. She's lost so much, but I can just feel it. That girl is going to come out on top."

"She just needs a family who will help her get there." He turned to look Firefly in the eye.

"And you want us to be that family?" Firefly quietly asked, meeting Prism's gaze.

"Yes." Prism gave a firm nod.

Firefly ducked her head under Prism's chin. "I want to meet her."

"I think you'll like her." Prism nodded, putting his good wing over Firefly's back.

"I'll be sure to hold off on my judgement." Firefly cuddled closer, a quiet moment passing between the two of them.

They were still for a little while, enjoying each other's presence. Even though it was his first tour with the Wonderbolts, Prism realized how much he hated being away from his family only a day after they had left Equestria. It was amazing to be with them once again, despite the circumstances.

Firefly's eyes widened as she remembered the other important thing that had brought her out to Mindoir.

"Prism, your wing!" She cried, wriggling out from under his other wing. Pulling away from him, Firefly stepped off the bed and looked over Prism's broken wing.

"I'm alright," Prism said, shrugging his shoulders. There was nothing he could do about it, and he had managed to save at least one life. It was a good trade.

"You don't look alright." Firefly stared at his wing skeptically.

"It looks worse than it is." Prism looked back at the bandages that covered his broken wing, grimacing slightly at the sight.

"It looks pretty bad," Firefly said, climbing back onto the bed. She ran a gentle hoof over the bandages, feeling the broken bones through the thick cloth.

"Yeah..." Prism trailed off. He had nothing else he could say about that.

"What did the doctors say?" Firefly asked, snuggling back up against his good side.

Prism winced, looking anywhere in the room but Firefly. His cheeks burned in embarrassment and shame. Putting a gentle hoof on her cheek, Firefly turned his head to face her.

"Prism." She murmured lovingly.

"I'll..." Prism sighed, dropping his head in shame. "I'll be able to fly, but they don't believe that I'll ever be able to do much more than fly in a straight line."

"Oh, Prism!" Firefly's hooves flew to her mouth in horror. "Your dream!"

"It's alright," he whispered. Prism shook his head and frowned. "I've did good down there, and I can do other things."

"But it's your dream!" Firefly protested, tears welling in her eyes. Ever since she had known him, being a Wonderbolt was his biggest goal in life. She was more than overjoyed when he had actually qualified for the team, and the next two years of their life had been... perfect. To have that all stolen away from him... Firefly could feel her heart breaking for her husband.

"Yeah. It is." Prism smiled sadly at his wife. "But... I can find another dream."

"I love you, Rainbow Prism," Firefly whispered to Prism. She kissed him before she nuzzled up against his cheek. "You're a brave stallion. You're a good stallion."

A deep well of peace fell over Prism's heart. His wife still loved him, his daughter was safe, and he was alive. Everything else would work itself out.

Together, the two of them drifted off to sleep, happier than they had been in a long time."


	8. Chapter Seven - First Meetings

Chapter Seven - First Meetings  
>Med Bay, SSV Olympus, Mindoir Orbit<p>

Time had become meaningless to Riley in the med-bay on the Olympus. The entire ship had been engineered to be comfortable to humans, and that included the artificial lighting that measured her days. The nurses had told her that a week had passed, but it had all been a blur to her, marked only by periods of sleep.

Sitting up in her bed, Riley idly the TV hanging in the corner of the room. Its volume nearly too low for her to hear, it was playing some news program that she was only vaguely paying attention to. The program had been focussed on Mindoir, and it showed no sign of switching topics anytime soon. She watched the report with dead eyes, completely focussed on the screen.

"Our sources in the Systems Alliance are telling us that the casualties are still being counted." The news casters looked grim, in a very false way. They were there for the ratings. "The latest numbers have the missing at 10,000, and the dead at 500."

Riley turned away from the TV, her fists clenching, grabbing at the sheets until her knuckles were white, the only sign of the rage that was filling her chest. Her face was blank, but her eyes were steely and cold. Mindoir was her home. She had been there for nearly every part of the colonies development, seeing it go from a backwater collection of buildings to the beginnings of a truly thriving colony.

The door to the med-bay opened with a hiss and a tall black man entered, his shoes clicking sharply against the floor. He was dressed in Alliance blue, bald, his cap held under his arm. He was the very picture of the Alliance military. He looked around the room until his gaze landed on Riley laying on her bed.

The man paused, unsure. His dark eyes narrowed as he pursed his lips.

Taking a deep breath, he strode over to her, pulling up a chair. He took a seat down beside her bed.

"Hello, Riley," he spoke, his voice deep, betraying none of the nervousness that roiled inside of him.

Riley turned to look at him, her eyes quickly studying his face. She had no recognition of him, having never seen him before in his life. She didn't make any move to greet him, watching him silently.

"I wasn't expecting you to remember me." The man smiled, an uncomfortable look on him. He ducked his head in understanding. "I knew your parents when they were still in Alliance."

"I came as soon as I heard." His expression turned sad, mournful.

Riley stared at him, looking him over, sizing him up. Through his uniform, she could see that he was a nearly solid block of muscle. His eyes had the look of someone who had seen far too much in life.

"Who are you?" Riley asked after a second.

"Lieutenant Commander David Anderson, at your service." Anderson gave a small salute to her. "I served a tour with your parents on the SSV Hastings."

Riley made the connection nearly instantly, a little bit of understanding filling her at his explanation. She remembered the stories that her parents had told her about their time in the Alliance, especially during the First Contact war. They had been her favorite bed time stories when she was younger.

"Is there anyone who will take care of you?" Anderson looked around the room, finding no one who looks like they are there for her. "Are you grandparents here? Any friends, relatives?"

Riley was still for a long moment. She had never met her grandparents, and her parents had never spoken about them. She had always assumed that they were dead. Who knew where any of her families friends were.

"No." Riley shook her head.

Anderson frowned at that, but he said nothing more on the matter. Instead he asked, "How do you feel?"

"I'm fine," she said instantly, a response that had become automatic since the attack.

Anderson watched her carefully, not really believing her.

"I'm fine," Riley repeated, more insistent that time.

Anderson was silent for a moment before nodding his head. "Alright."

They sat there awkwardly for several seconds.

"Is there anything I can get you?" Anderson asked, his nervousness growing.

Riley shook her head, but she didn't say anything.

"Well..." Anderson was still for a moment, then nodded in acceptance. Riley made no sign that she had heard him. "If you need anything, if you need anything, just ask anyone for me."

Anderson stood up, leaving the room.

Stepping out into the hall, Anderson glanced back over his shoulder and took a deep breath, his shoulders sagging slightly. That had not gone at all like he had been hoping. No matter how many pep-talks he had given himself on the shuttle ride to Mindoir, he was just not comfortable around children. Hannah would smack him if she had seen how awkward he was around her daughter.

"Excuse us," a quiet voice said from behind him, breaking his concentration.

Anderson looked behind him and found two pegasi waiting to go into the med-bay, tired but hopeful looks on their faces.

"I'm sorry," He said, stepping out of the way, letting the two ponies through. He watched through the window as they walk straight to Riley's bed, cocking his head slightly in confusion.

Seeing a doctor walking by, Anderson stopped him with hand on his chest, pointing at the scene. "Who are those two ponies?"

The Doctor looked through the window at what Anderson was pointing at. "I don't know who the other one is, but the stallion is Rainbow Prism. He's a Wonderbolt and he saved that girls life."

Anderson let the Doctor go, watching the two ponies, intrigued.

###

Riley just stared up at the ceiling, focused and angry. Anderson's visit was already gone from her mind, the seeds of hatred flowing through her mind.

"Hey there, Riley."

Riley looked over and found Prism and pink female pegasus standing next to her bed.

"Hi, Prism," she said quietly.

"There's someone I'd like you to meet, Riley." Prism gestured at Firefly. "This is my wife, Firefly."

"Hi, Riley." Firefly waved a hoof at Riley, a small, welcoming smile on her face. Her eyes were warm and sympathetic, looking Riley over with a very motherly expression.

"Hi," Riley greeted back.

"Is it alright if we sit with you for awhile," Prism asked.

Riley shrugged, not really caring one way or another.

Prism and Firefly dragged chairs over to the bed, sitting up in them. They settled for a moment, a comfortable silence falling between the couple.

"How are you feeling?" Prism asked, folding his one good wing around Firefly's back.

"I'm fine," Riley said, repeating what she had said to Anderson just minutes before.

Prism and Firefly shared a look and worried frowns. After raising Rainbow and looking after their neighbors fillies and colts so often, the way of a child's mind was not unknown to them. Riley wasn't anything strange.

"You've been through a horrible time, Riley," Firefly said softly. She leaned into Prism's embrace. "You don't have to hide your feelings from us. We just want to help you."

Riley looked suspiciously at Prism and Firefly. She turned her gaze on Prism, her eyes narrowed. "Why the hell do you keep coming back and talking to me? I don't even know you."

"Maybe not." Prism shrugged, watching the girl carefully. "But I didn't want to let you be alone. You need people around you who can help you get through this."

Riley watched him for a moment longer, before repeating, "I'm fine."

"You don't have to pretend." Firefly puts a hoof on the bed gently, leaning forward. "You don't have to be strong all the time, Riley. We are here for you."

"Why?" Riley's voice was questioning, her eyes narrowed. Her voice cracked as she watched the two, her composure beginning to slip. "I just want to be alone! Go away!"

"We're not going to go away." Prism shook his head, his voice calm. "You need someone to help you, and from what I can see, we're the only ones willing."

"Fuck you!" Riley shouted, slamming her fist down against the bed.

"It's alright, Riley." Prism didn't react to Riley's outburst. "You're safe. You survived."

"No!" Riley shook her head, clenching her fists until her knuckles turned white and her nails dug into her palms. "No! I should have fucking done something! I could have- I could have-"

"You could have done what?" Firefly asked gently, putting a hoof on Riley's hand, rubbing it.

"I could have gotten a gun!" Riley ignored Firefly's touch, her voice wild with desperation and regret. "I could have killed them! I could have... I could have..."

She slumped back against her bed, her eyes filling with tears.

Firefly hesitated for a moment before gathering her courage together. With a gentle flap of her wings, she got up on the bed, wrapping her forelegs around Riley, pulling her into a tight hug. "It's not your fault, Riley."

Riley did an odd hiccup-sob noise, completely undignified but chock full of emotion. She fought against the tears that were welling in her eyes, sniffling.

"It's not your fault." Firefly repeated.

Firefly looked back and gave Prism a meaningful look, gesturing at him with her head. He climbed up onto the bed, moving to Riley's opposite side, wrapping her and Firefly into a big group hug.

"It's not your fault," Prism whispered tenderly.

Riley choked out a sob, a deep sound deep in her chest, her body betraying her as her grief and sadness came smashing through her barriers. "It is my fault! I watched them die!"

"It's not your fault." Prism shook his head, his voice tender but firm.

"Yes, it is!" Riley sobbed, slumping in their embrace.

Prism pulled her tighter and Firefly wrapped her wings around Riley, rocking her gently back and forth.

"It's not your fault." She leaned forward to whisper into Riley's ear. "Your family loved you, and its not your fault."

"It's my fault!" Riley sobbed. She just couldn't accept it. She was filled with guilt and no words were going to push that away. "It's my fault. It's all my fault."

Sagging back against her bed, Riley cried herself to sleep.

###

Firefly and Prism left the hospital, their emotions a wreck and their minds scattered. Firefly had one of her wings thrown over Prism's shoulder, a warm comfort to the two of them. They both felt a bit forlorn, but still hopeful.

"Excuse me," a deep voice spoke behind them.

They both looked up to find Anderson sitting in a chair opposite the med-bay's door. He stood and took a step forward. "My name is David Anderson, and I was wondering if you would be willing to talk with me for a minute?"

"We're very tired, sir." Prism was barely able to keep his eyes open, his mind still racing from what had happened just moments before. His emotions were running wild. "I'm sorry but-"

"It's about Riley Shepard." Anderson holds up a hand to stop them.

"What about her?" Prism looked at him suspiciously.

"I'm her godfather," Anderson said.

###

Anderson, Prism, and Firefly sat at a table in the far corner of the Olympus' mess hall. Prism and Firefly both had two trays before them with a thoroughly vegetarian affair. Anderson wasn't eating.

"What is your interest in Riley?" He leaned forward, clasping his hands together as he bit his lip.

Prism and Firefly looked at each other, quickly confirming that they were on the same page.

"She needs someone to look after her," Firefly said, looking up at Anderson suspiciously. "She doesn't have anyone."

"My line of work doesn't allow me to spend a lot of time at home." Anderson sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"And what exactly is it that you do?" Prism asked.

"I am an N7." Anderson leaned back.

Prism's eyes widened in recognition. As a Wonderbolt, he could be considered one of the foremost members of the Equestrian military, but the N program was on an entirely different level. As an N7, Anderson was the elite of the elite of the Alliance's special forces. He looked at the man in a new light.

"And you're Riley's godfather?" Prism asked.

"I was good friend with Hannah and Robert." Anderson nodded. "They were so proud when they adopted Riley, and they named me her godfather."

With a sigh, Anderson leaned forward, tired. "I'm listed as Riley's guardian in their will, but I don't believe that I need to tell you how difficult of a position I am in. I am a bachelor, and I don't any place to call my own. I don't lead a life that is conducive for a teenage girl."

Prism and Firefly looked at each other in understanding.

"What..." Firefly paused, biting her lip for a moment. "What are you wanting to talk about?"

"What is your intention with Riley?" Anderson asked again, watching the two of them carefully.

"We want to..." Prism paused, glancing at Firefly, who nodded in agreement. "We would like to adopt her."

They all fell silent, putting it out there. Anderson looked them over, judging them.

"Let's talk," Anderson said.


	9. Chapter Eight - A Fast Dash

Chapter Eight - A Fast Dash  
><span>SSV Olympus, Mindoir Orbit

Riley didn't fully know what to make of Lieutenant Commander Anderson. Everything about him screamed confidence, but the way that he acted around her just confused her. He would stammer and forget words, then blush and try to carry on as if nothing had happened. He didn't always act that way though. Riley saw the way he interacted with the doctors and nurses. There was no stammering and blushing there, just a whole lot of 'yes, sir,' 'no, ma'am,' 'I'm her godfather, sir.'

Shaking her head, Riley let her mind fall blank, drawing closer behind Anderson as a pair of crew mates passed by. She wrapped her arms around the baggy sweat-shirt that she had been given, stepping awkwardly around her loose pants that were just a tad too large on her frame. She still managed to keep step with Anderson though, sticking close to him. The crew-mates walked past her without even a glance, continuing their own quiet conversation.

Anderson felt more than a little awkward as he led Riley through the bowels of the Olympus, the silence between them both not bothering him, and piercing all the way through his steely exterior. This wasn't the way it was supposed to be. He thanked god that such a miracle had dropped in his lap, because there was no way he would have ever been able to raise any child on his own.

Even with his comfortableness with the silence, Anderson thought that he really should say something. He might have been okay with it, but Riley was just a teenage girl. He opened his mouth to ask a question, but nothing sprung to his mind and instead he closed it again.

He shook his head, no. Riley was just a girl, a victim in circumstances beyond her control. He would do better for her.

"Was there anything that you liked to do for fun, Riley?" Anderson finally asked, settling on what he felt was a fairly safe question. It shouldn't draw up too many memories of the attack.

Riley looked up at Anderson, drawn out of her thoughts by his voice. She had to look up at him a fair bit to see him, and he slowed down so he was walking side by side with her. Even so, he was still a foot taller than her. She thought for a moment on whether or not she actually wanted to answer him.

"I'm a..." She looked him over with careful eyes. "I'm a dancer."

Anderson didn't miss a step at the revelation smiling down at Riley. He didn't show it on his face, but it truly was a surprise to him. Hannah never seemed like the mother who would push her children to do anything they didn't want to, and her father had absolutely no knowledge of the arts. It must have been Riley then that had decided to dance. He hadn't thought of her as someone who would be interested in that.

"Any particular style?" He asked, truly interested.

Riley blushed, rubbing the back of her neck as she looked down at the floor. "... Ballet."

"Do you like it?" Anderson asked, smiling. He could see it now, as he looked her over. She had the right build and even as she slouched and tried to present as small a form as possible to the world around her, he could see it in the way she moved.

"Yeah." Riley nodded without hesitation. It was one of the few things in her life that hadn't been destroyed. "I do."

"After you," Anderson said, pausing in front of the mess hall, the large doors open revealing the moderately empty room. Anderson lets her go first.

Riley timidly walked into the room, relaxing ever so slightly when no one turned and looked at her. Her trauma on Mindoir wasn't a flashing sign proclaiming for all to see that she was broken, like she feared. Taking her elbow, Anderson led her to the food line. The spread of food before her was overwhelming and she just filled up her plate as quickly as possible, paying no mind to what she was actually grabbing. It didn't matter anyway.

Anderson was a bit more careful in his own meal choices, but he was ready soon after she was. He paid swiftly at the register before leading Riley to a table that sat in the corner. It had clear sight lines to everywhere in the room, and Riley relaxed even more as she sat in the corner. She could see everything, and no one would be able to sneak up on her.

They started to eat in silence.

Only moments after they had started eating, Riley watched as Rainbow and Firefly entered the room, followed by a small blue filly that bounced around them excitedly. They made their own way through the food line, paying, then they began making their way towards Riley and Anderson's table.

"Excuse me, David," Prism said, a smile in his voice.

Riley stared down at her food, not wanting to make eye contact.

Anderson smiled at the family, watching the little filly as she hid behind her parents, peeking around her mother's leg as she tried to get a better look at the two humans above her.

"Prism, Firefly, please, take a seat." Anderson gestured for them to take a seat across from him and Riley.

They did so quietly, first helping Rainbow sit and setting her tray before her, then taking their own seats on either side of her. Rainbow sat cautiously between her mother and father, looking at Riley nervously as she started to eat her meal.

"How are you today, David?" Prism asked, breaking the ice.

"I am doing alright," Anderson answered, a thankful smile on his face. Looking at Riley, he gestured at Prism, Firefly, and Rainbow. "Riley, this is Rainbow Prism, Firefly, and their daughter Rainbow Dash."

"We've met..." Riley said softly, watching them carefully.

Prism and Firefly glanced at each other, silently communicating between themselves.

"Riley, you know that David is your godfather, don't you?" Firefly asked as she leaned forward.

Riley nodded slowly, glancing up at Anderson.

"As your godfather, your parents specified in their will that I was to be your guardian should anything happen to them." He smiled reassuringly at her.

Riley nodded in understanding.

"I don't know if you know anything about what I do, but I'm a marine." Anderson put a hand comfortingly on Riley's shoulder, though she ducked out from under it. He held up a hand in peace, not wanting to push past her own comfort zone. "One of the best, an N7."

"I know what an N is." Riley looked up at him suspiciously. She didn't want anyone touching her, ever again.

"What I am trying to say, child, is that I am not the right man to raise a child." With a sigh, Anderson shakes his head, shutting his eyes. She didn't trust him. She probably didn't trust anybody. "Much less a teenage girl. I don't have anyplace to call my own and I am constantly on the move."

Riley studied Anderson carefully. Inwardly, she couldn't help but add him to the list of people that were abandoning her.

"I might not be able to care for you," Anderson said quickly, seeing the dark emotions playing across her face. He wanted to reassure her in whatever way he could. "But Prism and Firefly have been talking with me."

Prism and Firefly watched the ongoing discussion carefully, knowing just how incredibly important the next few minutes were for all of their futures.

"They would like to adopt you," Anderson said, spitting it all out.

Riley turned her gaze on Prism and Firefly, watching them carefully. She didn't say anything for a whole minute, watching them through half-lidded eyes.

"Why?"

"Your mother asked me to make sure that you were safe." Prism shifted in his seat, glancing down at his daughter who was happily eating the pears piled on her plate. "The more time that I spent with you, the more I realized that I wanted to make sure you were safe."

Riley crossed her arms over her chest, unconvinced.

"If you'll let us, Riley, we would like to adopt you," Firefly said, smiling hopefully.

"I'll still have joint guardianship," Anderson said as he leaned forward, interjecting. "But Prism and Firefly would see that you were safe and cared for, and if you let them, to be your family."

The table fell silent as Riley did her best to process what everyone had just told her. Her thoughts raced at the speed of light, swirling through her head in a veil of confusion and emotions.

Rainbow looked up from her meal and glanced around at everyone, noticing how serious everyone had turned. With a frown, she sat up and looked at Riley in confusion.

"Who are you?" She asked, pointing a small blue hoof at her.

With a flap of her wings, Rainbow jumped up onto the table, rushing forward until she was nose to nose with Riley, all earlier nervousness forgotten. She looked her in the eye, deadly serious and adorable all at the same time.

"My name is Riley."

"Riley, huh?" Rainbow looked for all the world like she was trying to be a tiny detective, questioning Riley on her motives. She was making her parents serious, and that just wasn't allowed! When her parents got serious, thats when the time outs came and Rainbow was not going to be having a time out today. There were pears to be eaten after all.

"Are you some sort of spy?" She poked Riley with a hoof, getting even closer, forcing the human girl to back up a bit.

"What?" Riley paused at Rainbow's question, confused.

"Are you a spy?" Rainbow asked again, trying to put as much warning and menace into her voice as possible. She flared her wings to make herself look bigger. Being only a small filly, all she was able to manage was looking cute beyond belief, though no one had the heart to tell her.

Riley cocked her head in confusion, staring at the little blue filly. Prism and Firefly watched their daughter with barely contained amusement. Anderson watched all of them carefully, ready to intervene if necessary. Rainbow was nice and she meant well, but she was also just a filly and she wouldn't know when to stop.

"No..." Riley finally drawled out.

"Good!" Rainbow backed up nearly instantly, smiling widely. She held out a hoof for Riley to shake. "My name is Rainbow Dash! I'm the most awesomest pony in Equestria!"

"I can see that." Riley giggled quietly, shaking the filly's hoof.

Anderson, Firefly, and Prism shared a relieved look.

"Are you going to be my new sister?" Rainbow asked, looking at her curiously.

Riley was taken aback for a moment, disappearing back into her own memories. Rainbow waited patiently for her to respond, as did Firefly, Prism, and Anderson.

The moment dragged on, the tension building. In her head, a flurry of emotions raged through Riley. Anger, rage, fear, anxiety, nervousness, depression, and confusion. Memories of fire and gunshots, blood and smoke. It all welled up inside of her to create a very scared girl.

"I..." Riley took a deep, shuddering breath, biting her lip as she stared down at the table. "Maybe... We'll see..."

Rainbow nodded in acceptance, before punching at the air. "Cool!"

"We think you'll like it with us, Riley," Prism said, leaning into his wife's embrace.

Riley was quiet for a moment, but then she looked up at them. She spoke in a small voice. "Can I..."

"Can you what, darling?" Firefly sat up, compassion clear on her face.

"Can I keep my last name?" Riley ducked her head, hiding behind her hair.

"We would never dream of taking that away from you, Riley." Firefly smiled encouragingly at her.

"Ok," she said simply, giving a single nod. "Ok."


	10. Chapter Nine - Terra Firma

Chapter Nine  
><span>Terra Firma Headquarters, Vancouver, Earth, Sol System

Inez Simmons was a proud man who believed in the human race more than anything in the universe. He had watched as humanity had struggled against the Turians in the First Contact war. He had watched as the Asari had pulled humanity under their wing and washed away the war as if it had never occurred. He had watched politicians give more and more of humanities freedoms to the aliens at the gate. That was why he had created Terra Firma those twenty years ago, to make sure that humanity would always have a voice fighting for its best interests. Now, twenty years later, Terra Firma had the ear of every important human politician in the galaxy, from the Ambassador on the Citadel to the Prime Minister of the Systems Alliance itself.

It was why he spent so many long hours at his desk, ensuring that humanity prospered. It had affected his personal life, not that he had much of one anymore. He had lost his wife and child, and his friends had all drifted away. That didn't matter. What he was doing was far more important than any home life.

History would prove him right. He was sure of it.

Picking up his still steaming cup of coffee, Inez reminded himself of that fact as he picked up another datapad. History would prove him right. It was all worth it.

Inez looked up from his datapad when there was a knock at the door. "Enter," he said.

The door opened and Michael Basinger entered the room. Dressed in a smart suit, he had a deep frown set on his face and a paper folder clutched tightly in his arms, a rarity these days.

"Basinger!" Inez stood, meeting Michael with a smile. "Wonderful. Please tell me you have something to distract me from this bullshit."

Michael just frowned deeper and Inez's smile faltered.

"What is it?" Inez asked, a hint of hesitation in his voice.

Michael looked down at the folder in his hands, his knuckles white in anger. He held out the folder for Inez to take, his hands shaking at the rage coursing through him. "You're going to want to take a look at this, Mr. Simmons."

Inez watched Michael carefully, sitting up to grab the folder. Sitting back in his seat, he started to look it over. Michael just waited patiently for him to read the entire thing, resisting the urge to pace back and forth in anger.

As Inez flipped through page after page, he got angrier, his earlier jovial disposition quickly leaving him.

Finishing, he slammed the folder down, looking up at Michael with a glare.

"Is this a joke?" He watched Michael's face carefully, his eyes narrowed.

"No, sir." Michael shook his head, pursing his lips. He crossed his arms and rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet.

"I..." Inez stood, a hand on his hip and a hand on his mouth, trying to think things through. Michael waited patiently for him to speak. "This can't be allowed to happen."

"Where did you get this?" He turned to face Michael, crossing his arms over his chest.

"One of our contacts in the Alliance caught it as it passed over their desk." Michael smiled, a grim look that would have sent a lesser man running in fear.

"Who's this Lieutenant Anderson?" Inez asked, opening the folder as he looked over the names listed on the pages.

"He's an N7," Michael explained, having looked everything up before he had brought it to Inez. "Served on the Hastings with the girls parents. He's a genuine, bonafide hero."

Inez paced his office, frowning, thoughts racing through his mind. He turned sharply, pointing a finger at Michael. "And this hero decided that it was a good idea to just let a bunch of ponies adopt a human?"

He slammed a fist down on his desk, ignoring when his coffee cup went flying to the ground. It shattered with a crash, but both men ignored it.

"This is why humanity needs us!" Inez went back to pacing, going off on one of his infamous rants. "It was bad enough when the damn Prime Minister decided we were going to be those stupid horses allies!"

"There is no way in hell that I'm allowing this to go any further!" Turning, he pointed a finger at Michael. "Next thing you know, humans'll be marrying ponies. I'll be dead before I ever let that happen!"

He took a deep breath, and a few minutes passed. His anger passed, settling into a quiet determination.

"Get Weber on the line. We need to talk. Details to work through." He turned back to Michael, looking him in the eyes.

Michael nodded, then left the room.

As soon as the door shut behind him, Inez slumped down into his chair behind his desk. Leaning down, he opened a drawer, pulled out a bottle of vodka, and poured a shot. With a grimace of anticipation, he downed it.

Turning in his chair, he looked out his window at Vancouver beyond.

History would prove him right, he was sure of it.

###

Prism and Firefly lay asleep on Prism's bed in his room on the ship, cuddled up as close to each other as they could possibly get. Prism had a small, happy smile on his face. On a small cot across the room, Rainbow was sleeping upside down, her legs sprawled out, snoring quietly.

There was a harsh knock at the door, waking Prism and Firefly.

With a grumble, Prism rolled out of bed and walked up to the door. Slapping the controls, he opened it to find Commander Easyglider, Anderson, and two men in fine suits waiting on the other side.

Prism snapped to attention and gave perfect salute. "Commander!"

"These gentlemen are here to see you, Prism." Easyglider saluted back, nodding grimly to Prism.

Prism turned his attention to the two men that Anderson was glaring daggers at. One of them opened a briefcase, pulling out a folder.

"I am here to inform a Rainbow Prism that the adoption of Riley Shepard is contested," the man said with a grim voice.

Prism's eyes widened in surprise. He turned to Anderson, who was visibly angry, restraining himself from doing anything stupid.

"The Terra Firma party is bringing the adoption before the Supreme Court," the second man spoke.

"Why?" Firefly joined Prism at the door, looking over the people before her with confusion.

"It's Terra Firma," Anderson said with a voice full of rage. "Human supremacists. They can't stand the idea of a pony couple adopting a human."

Firefly gasped, her eyes going wide.

"Alright." Easyglider glared at the lawyers. "You've delivered the message. Now get the hell off my ship before I have you thrown off!"

The men gave similar, condescending smirks then left the hall, escorted away by two other Wonderbolts. Easyglider grimaced, gave Prism and Firefly an apologetic look, then followed after them.

"What just happened?" Prism asked, turning to face Anderson.

"They showed up an hour ago, demanding to see you," Anderson said, rubbing the bridge of his nose with his hand. "They had everything in order and there wasn't anything I could do to make them go away."

"So..." Prism looked at Anderson, dropped his head and let out a deep sigh. "Because we're ponies, they don't want us to adopt Riley."

"Yeah," Anderson said with gritted teeth. Dropping his hands to his side, he took a deep breath. "Terra Firma has been a problem pretty much since Hall stumbled on the sphere. They only got worse after the First Contact war. They're very... conservative."

"And they would be so petty as to deny a girl a home just because it is with 'aliens'?" Firefly asked incredulously. She couldn't believe that there would be anyone cruel enough to want to do something so horrible.

Anderson gave a single nod before solemnly saying, "Yes."

"Is there anything we can do?" Prism asked, looking past what had just happened to the options that they could take. "That girl... Riley deserves a good home."

"She deserves to have somepony fight for her," Firefly said, biting her lip. She could feel a headache building behind her eyes, but ignored it. There were bigger things to deal with, and she would need to be at the top of her game to make sure that everything would go okay.

"It's going to the Supreme Court, which means that Terra Firma has ears in high places." Anderson sighed, shaking his head in frustration. "Our only hope is to have a better argument than they do."

"We have no desire to make Riley into a spectacle..." Prism bit his lip, his good wing fluttering in agitation. He dropped his head and gave a deep sigh of regret. "If this is truly what's best for her..."

Anderson shook his head, taking a seat on the floor. He leaned up against the wall for support. He looked tired and it brought him down to the ponies eye-level. "No, Rainbow Prism."

Prism looked him in the eye, waiting for him to say what he had to say.

"I've seen the way that you and Firefly are around her. You are what's best for her, and I don't want you to have any doubt about it. She's lost a mother, father, and sister. There's no need for her to lose her savior." Anderson spoke calmly, but firmly.

Prism and Firefly shared a glance, then a nod. They made up their minds. They would fight for Riley, because she deserved more than bit of normalcy in their life. They would stand between her and the ravening jaws of Terra Firma, and they would do it gladly. The poor girl deserved it.

"You're a good man, David." Firefly stepped forward and wrapped Anderson in a hug. "Riley is lucky to have you as a godfather."

Anderson gave her a small smile, hugging her back. "Maybe. She's luckier to have you."


	11. Chapter Ten - Shock and Lawyers

Chapter Ten - Shock and Lawyers  
><span>Earth Orbit, North American Continent

The past week and a half had been hell. After the lawyers had delivered the terrible news, Prism, Firefly, and Anderson had immediately sprung into action. Terra Firma was not content letting the court systems take care of the problem naturally and had instead called in favors from everyone that owed them. That was what had brought the entire matter before the Supreme Court of the Systems Alliance.

Telling Riley had been the hardest thing that Prism and Firefly had ever had to do in their lives. To pull all stability out from under the traumatized girl had torn at their hearts, and they would be glad to have the entire matter resolved. No matter what happened, they would see to it that she was loved, be it with them or a human family. There was no question in their mind that she deserved to be looked after like that. She needed something to go right in her life for once.

The flight to Earth had taken up the majority of that week. Commander Easyglider had seen them off personally, taking care of all of the arrangements to Earth. Unfortunately, the only way he could possibly get them there on time was to charter a roundabout flight that led them to Thessia, where they would then catch a ship leaving for Arcturus, and from there the Alliance would take care of the rest.

The flights themselves had gone off without a hitch, though Riley had stuck to her own devices the vast majority of time. She withdrew into herself, shutting off all emotions in the light of current events. She would never have been able to put it into words, but any psychologist would have been able to figure out quite quickly that she was protecting herself from further pain. The loss of her family and home had been enough, anymore would put her into a tailspin that she would never be able to climb out of.

The only one that seemed to have been able to elicit any type of response from the girl was Rainbow Dash, much to Prism's and Firefly's relief. While normally a brash and headstrong filly, Rainbow seemed to take an uncharacteristic amount of tact to her interactions with Riley on the trip. They would just sit together for hours, Riley thinking, and Rainbow amusing herself with preening, or watching shows on her omni-tool. The occasional mindless scratching from Riley certainly helped matters along on Rainbows end. Tactful though she may have been, she was still just a young filly with near endless amounts of energy. The scratching made for a great incentive.

After arriving at Arcturus Station, the decision had been made by the Alliance Police to relay the group to Earth in two shuttles. While the decision did make them disgruntled, privately, Prism and Anderson where they were coming from. Terra Firma was turning the entire case into a circus, and media coverage had been running nearly non-stop. Their lawyers had even managed to get the case scheduled for the same day as when they would arrive on Earth. The shuttle would be setting down outside Court House in as big a spectacle as possible. Taking two shuttles allowed Firefly and Rainbow to keep a relative amount of privacy. Both Prism and Firefly had agreed that Rainbow did not need that type of attention on her, both as a filly, and as a slight egomaniac. It would just be better all around.

Climbing aboard the shuttle, both Anderson and Prism had been surprised to find that two case workers from Child Protective Services were already waiting for them. Anderson had his own thoughts about their loyalties, but he kept them to himself. There was nothing he could do about it but glare and keep their attention from Riley as much as humanly possible.

Riley sat between the two case workers, a matter which they had been unwilling to budge on and forced her to do, in the police shuttle. She was wearing a simple black dress that Anderson had purchased for her on Arcturus, and her hair was tied up in a bun.

Anderson and Prism sat across from the three of them. They were both dressed in their service uniforms, which looked immaculate and perfectly pressed and starched, professional to the core. They were putting out a clear message, that they were career military and that Riley was under their protection. Anderson's steely face was going to help that message along far more than Prism ever would, but no one would ever tell him that. Having a crazed, injured pegasus trying to attack you was nobodies idea of a good time.

Looking out the window of the shuttle, Riley watched as the darkness of space gave way to burning red glare of atmosphere, then a deepening view of blue and clouds, and finally the city of New York emerged into view.

The city was a testament to human ingenuity. It had lasted the test of time, surviving countless attacks and weathering tough times, coming out the other side bruised but intact. It had been changed and redesigned time and time again, but it was always the same city. There was really nowhere else on Earth that the Alliance could have put its Supreme Court. New York just made sense. It was a symbol of everything that humanity wanted to accomplish out in the stars. Towering buildings rose up into the sky, each complementing each other, works of art in their own right. Some were even over a mile high, taking up entire city blocks. Very few buildings were left from the early 21st century, having been replaced over the past century with much larger, sturdier structures.

In the center of the city sat the crowning jewel of New York, a large, circular building, designed by famed architect Teegan Montana, the Supreme Court of the Systems Alliance. It might not have towered over the surrounding buildings, but it had an air of stateliness that the others simply could not match. The shuttle flew directly towards it.

"Have you ever been to Earth before, Riley?" Anderson asked, leaning forward. The shuttle ride so far had been a quiet affair, but he felt the urge to try and make a connection with her. Those urges had saved his life more times than he was willing to admit, so he went with it without a second thought.

Riley shook her head, taking in the sight of New York with only half-interest. It was nothing like Mindoir. A single city block of the city before her held more residents than the entirety of the population of her home planet. It was more than mind-boggling, or at least it would have been if she hadn't been running on autopilot.

"This has to be a big change for you," Anderson continued, feeling that it would be good to give her some form of positive human contact, even if she didn't feel the need to respond.

Riley said nothing.

Anderson leaned back into his seat, sharing a look with the case-workers, both of whom looked at him with cold eyes. They were in Terra-Firma's pockets, Anderson guessed. He wasn't wrong.

Turning to look at Prism, the pegasus only offered a shrug. As much as he wanted to, Prism couldn't think of a single helpful thing to say.

Through the window, everyone watched as the shuttle came in for a landing in front of the building, bleeding off excess speed by making a half-circuit around the top of the Court House. Riley caught site of the massive crowd barely contained behind a line of police officers outside the entrance, full of cameras, reporters, and protesters. Even through the sound-proofed cabin of the shuttle, a dull roar of all of their voices could be heard.

The shuttle touched down with a soft thump and the case workers stood, moving to get off first. Anderson and Prism stood next, letting Riley stand between the four of them, flanking her protectively.

The door to the shuttle opened, and all four of them were hit with what felt like a solid wave of sound, an unpleasant feeling in the center of their chests. Tens of thousands of people had assembled after nearly a solid two weeks of extremely biased news reports, from both sides of the issue. They were barely being held back by police, trying to make their feelings known on the upcoming court case. The support was largely on the side of Prism and his family, but there was also a notable number of people crying out in agreement with Terra Firma and Inez Simmons.

A jolt of shock rolled through Riley, and she looked out, shocked by the amount of people before her. She didn't follow the case-workers out of the shuttle, standing frozen in the doorway.

Stepping forward, Anderson put a hand on her shoulder comfortingly. She looked back at him and he smiled encouragingly.

"It's alright," he said, his voice soft but she could still hear him, even over the din of the crowd. "We'll both be here every step of the way."

Riley looked down at Prism, who also nodded encouragingly.

Looking back, unsure at the crowd, Riley squared her shoulders and took a hesitant step out of the shuttle.

Almost instantly, she was blinded from the flashing of the hovercams as they snapped pictures and took as much video as possible, moving as close to her as the police barricades allowed. She raised a hand to cover her eyes.

Hundreds of reporters all tried to shout their questions at Riley, and she couldn't even hear her thoughts, overwhelmed by the chaos. All of the noise was sending her into a PTSD fit, the sound of gunfire, explosions, and screams filling her head, and Prism noticed that she looked like she was on the verge of running.

"Your mind belongs to me." A deep voice echoed through Riley's mind, quieting her flight response. It became the only source of noise for her, and she shivered uneasily. "You will fulfill our purpose."

Prism watched the case-workers carefully, who were looking on at the scene with an ever so slight sense of smugness. They had wanted this to happen. He stomped his hoof on the ground and pointed at them angrily.

"ENOUGH!" He shouted, his voice cutting over the noise of the crowd. He nudged Riley's side gently. "Riley, follow me!"

He felt her hand on his back and he led Riley forward, past the line of police-officers, towards the steps leading up to the Court-House.

The Supreme-Court of the Systems Alliance was massive building, built to show off every bit of the power and prestige that humanity held. It had been carefully and mathematically designed to impress, and it fulfilled its role perfectly. Built in exotic stones imported from every human colony in the galaxy, every world had contributed to it in some way or another. The flags of every colony flew proudly on poles that ringed the outside of the building, with the flag of Earth above all of them, and the flag of the Systems Alliance above even that.

Prism and Anderson led Riley up the steps of the courthouse, all one-hundred eighty two of them, one for every country on Earth.

Riley looked back over her shoulder at the crowd behind her. She could see the true size of it now for the first time, stretching out of her view, filling the streets between the skyscrapers. It was overwhelming and she went limp in Anderson's hold, letting him lead her inside of the Court-House.

Riley fell to her knees as soon as the doors to the Court closed behind her. It was eerily quiet in the main entrance, and she struggled to catch her breath. Anderson and Prism got down on either side of her, gently helping her back up to her feet.

"Come," the Case Worker said, looking down at them impassively. "We are going to be late."

Anderson glared up at him, but the case worker didn't flinch at his icy gaze, an impressive feat that not many people who had met the man could boast. Prism ignored the workers altogether, making sure that he was able to help Riley at a moments notice, never straying more than a step or two away from her.

The Case Workers started walking, and Anderson, Prism, and Riley had no choice but to follow. They were led through the halls of the Supreme Court, past smaller offices and small groups of politicians and lawyers abusing their own limited power to 'dawdle' in the halls and catch a glimpse of the subject of one of the highest profile cases to ever cross the System Alliance's path.

"Riley Shepard." A deep voice boomed out from one of the hallways of the building.

The group stopped walking and turned almost collectively as one to see Prime Minister Huerta walking towards them, dressed in an impeccable suit with a large group of secretaries and guards trailing behind him. Anderson's eyes widened in surprise at seeing the single most important man in the Systems Alliance and he snapped to attention, giving him a perfect salute.

"Commander," Huerta said, his voice holding a hint of a surprise. "I wasn't expecting to see you here."

"I am Riley's guardian sir," Anderson replied. The two had a passing familiarity with each other, though they had not spent any significant amount of time together.

"Oh?" Huerta cocks his head, slightly confused. He stared at Anderson carefully, taking in the new information. "If that's the case, then what is the problem? Why is Inez Simmons beating down my door and crying wolf?"

Anderson and Prism shared a look. The Prime Minister either knew what was happening and wasn't happy with it, or he had no clue whatsoever. From the looks that they were giving each other, neither soldier knew the answer.

"My wife and I are trying to adopt, Riley, sir," Prism said slowly, unsure how to take the leader of the Systems Alliance.

Huerta looked down at Prism with a blank look, making the pony shift uncomfortably under his gaze. Soldier though he may have been, Prism was still at his core a herd animal of a herbivore nature. Instincts might not control him, but he could still feel them screaming in his brain. Humans had the tendency to make even the most hardened ponies flinch, though they had nothing on the Turians and the Krogan.

"I don't lead the type of life that can accommodate a teenage girl," Anderson said, drawing Huerta's attention away from Prism and back to himself.

"I see." Huerta gave a deep hmmm.

He shrugged, turning away from them. "Well, I can't do anything to change your mind. I know you too well for that."

"I shall see you during the trial." He nodded to the three of them. Turning away, Huerta and his group walked away, leaving the small group behind them.

Anderson, Prism, and Riley watched them go.

"What pole is shoved up his ass?" Prism looked at Anderson questioningly.

"We don't exactly see eye to eye." Anderson gave a small snort of laughter. "He's a sneaky bastard through and through. You can always trust him to look out for number one."

"Who was that?" Riley asked softly, looking at both men in confused.

It took a moment for the question to work its way through his mind, but Anderson quickly realized that Riley probably had no clue who the Prime Minister was. Mindoir was so far from Earth that it didn't even really matter to her. Being a teenager, he doubted that she had paid too much attention to politics.

"That was Prime Minister Christopher Huerta," he explained. "He is the leader of the Systems Alliance."

"Oh..." She didn't look impressed.

"There you are!" A feminine voice cried out, sounding both relieved and a tad frustrated.

Anderson, Prism, and Riley turn to find a middle aged woman striding toward them, a swing in her hips and a smile on her face. She was dressed in an expensive business suit, finely tailored to show off her every curve. She cut a striking figure, on modest heels and raven black hair, done in a tight but welcoming bob cut. Holding out a hand, Anderson took it and gave her a grateful shake. She did the same for Prism, shaking his hoof.

"Ms. Moore, it's good to finally meet you in person," Anderson said, thankful. He turned to Prism and Riley to introduce the woman to them. "This is Natalie Moore, our lawyer. The best on Earth."

"That's right," Natalie said with a smile and no small hint of pride. She knew her talents and was more than happy to use them to her fullest ability. She held a hand out for Riley, who shook it hesitantly. "Hello, Ms. Shepard. How are you feeling? Is there anything I can get you? Something to eat? Something to drink? We have a little bit of time before the trial starts."

Riley shook her head no, studying the older woman carefully.

"Alright then." Natalie ignored the younger girl's searching look. With what she was being paid she was willing to put up with anything that this group threw at her. "The Commander already briefed me on the flight over, but I think we should talk."

One of the Case Workers tried to cut in. "I'm not sure thats-"

"Don't even start with me." Natalie turned, staring down the case worker with an icy look that made him back down. Anderson's eyebrows rose, impressed. His already high estimation of the woman went up a couple of notches. He hadn't even been able to do that.

"I have a room upstairs where we can talk." Shaking her head, Natalie motioned over her shoulder towards a staircase. She met Riley's eyes, "And we do need to talk."

Riley looked questioningly at Anderson and Prism, both of whom nodded encouragingly to her. Uncomfortable but assured, she turned back to look at Natalie.

"Alright," she said in a small voice.

"Good!" Natalie beamed before leading Riley up the stairs. Anderson and Prism followed a few steps behind.

Natalie stopped outside a large door. She looked at Anderson and Prism. "I'm going to ask the two of you to wait out here. I'd like to talk to Riley alone if that is alright."

Anderson and Prism both gave nods to her, but the case workers looked like they wanted to protest, their faces turning interesting shades of red. A single look from Natalie made them back off.

###

The meeting room that Natalie had managed to secure was of medium size, furnished with a long, stained oak conference table and comfortable leather chairs. A pitcher of water and several glasses sat on the center of the table on a platinum tray.

Natalie sits down at one of the chairs, letting Riley sit uncomfortably in her own.

"Well," Natalie said getting comfortable. She smiled at Riley. "I'm sure that you never imagined this happening, did you?"

Riley shook her head. No, she had never imagined that she would have to watch her mother and father murdered before her eyes. She had never imagined that she would have to listen to the dying screams of her baby sister as she was torn to pieces by over eager slavers.

"You have my sympathies," Natalie said kindly, pouring herself a glass of water. "You shouldn't have been pulled into this politicking, not after what you have gone through, but..."

She grimaced, shaking her own head. "Well, there are quite a few bastards with way too much power. You're just caught up in a game that you have no part in."

Riley didn't say anything, letting Natalie lead the conversation.

Natalie didn't say anything for a few long moments, gathering her thoughts together.

Finally she spoke, quieter than she had been speaking, but no less kind. "I am going to ask you questions that you might not like, but please know that I am just trying to understand you better. I want our defense to be as tight as possible."

Riley just nodded her head.

###

Anderson, Prism, and the two case-workers stood waiting outside the meeting room, as they had been for the past half-hour. Prism slowly paced the hall, his hoofsteps echoing off the walls, while Anderson stood waiting at attention opposite the door. The two case-workers talked to each other in hushed whispers a ways away, glancing at Anderson and Prism suspiciously every few moments.

"Daddy!"

The four of them stopped and turned to look to find Rainbow rushing headlong towards Prism, her hooves clopping on the marble floor. Firefly and a Systems Alliance soldier followed a few feet behind her at a much more sedate pace.

Prism caught Rainbow as she jumped at him with her forehooves thrown open for a hug, a huge smile on her face.

"Rainbow!" Prism laughed, swinging her around. "Dear, try to be a bit more quiet. This isn't a place for loud noises."

Rainbow instantly looked embarrassed, dropping back down to the floor. Sheepishly, she spoke. "Sorry."

"Hello." Sauntering up to Prism Firefly gave him a hug as well.

"Hey," Prism said, leaning into the embrace. The tenseness in his shoulders was already bleeding away now that his wife and child were with him again.

"David." Firefly smiled up at Anderson, who gave a small bow of his head in greeting. Even with the short amount of time that they had known, the Rainbow family was already coming to think of him as family. He was an honorable man, a rare find in the galaxy.

"Firefly." Anderson smiled back. "How was your flight?"

"Loud." Her face deadpanned and she looked over at her daughter.

Rainbow bounced up, about to start jabbering loudly but remembered where she was instead takes a softer tone of voice. "There was a giant crowd, and they were all-"

She put her hooves around her mouth and imitated a crowd yelling.

"We heard it too, Rainbow." Prism laughed.

"Where's Riley?" Rainbow switched topics on a whim, noticing that she couldn't see her almost sister anywhere.

"She's in there." Anderson pointed at the meeting room. "Talking to our lawyer."

"Lawyer?" Firefly asked, not having had a chance to fully learn all of the details in the chaos of their trip across the galaxy. Most of her time had been spent trying to keep Rainbow from breaking anything vitally important on the ships they travelled on. "I wasn't aware that we'd hired one yet."

"I got a message from Princess Celestia on the shuttle ride down." Anderson still was amazed at how quickly the Equestrian Princess had acted. She not only set everything up without leaving her own planet, she had also picked the best, most ruthless lawyer on Earth, paying for the entire affair from the Royal coffers. "She arranged everything."

"The Princess is taking a personal interest in us?" Firefly looked impressed at that.

Prism glanced at the two case workers then led Firefly a little ways away to talk without being overheard.

"The Princesses have thought of everything," Prism said with a whisper, leaning close to his wife's ear. She listened carefully. "She wants nothing to go wrong with this."

"Nothing to go wrong?" Firefly asked quietly. She looked at Prism in confusion. "Like what?"

"We are adopting a human child." Prism would miss Cloudsdale, but Riley was more than worth it. "She can't cloudwalk."

"Yeah, we already knew that though," Firefly said. She looked at Prism questioningly, waiting for him to explain.

"But we didn't have any plans on where we were going to move, or anything set up for her." Prism looked sheepish at that, but what was done was done, and the Princess had thought of everything. "The Princess already took care of it."

"What?" Firefly asked, her confusion growing. "What do you mean?"

"She's giving a house in Canterlot." Prism opened his omni-tool, showing Firefly a picture of a modestly sized house in Equestria. "Paid for by the crown and completely furnished to suit a growing human child. No expense spared."

Firefly's eyes went wide and she was silent for several moments, just staring at the picture with her mouth gaping.

"That's a bit over the top, isn't it?" She finally made herself ask.

Prism shrugged. With humans so Tartarus bent on keeping Riley from their home, who was to say what was over the top. He would take all the help he could get.

"She sent a message for the two of us," Prism said.

He reversed the image on his omnitool so that she could read the message that Celestia sent them.

Lieutenant Rainbow Prism,

I was most pleased to learn of your actions during the raid of Mindoir. You acted with the comportment that I expect of all soldiers of Equestria. It saddens me to hear of your injury, and I would like you to know that the Crown will help you and your family through this difficult time.

I have learned of your plans to adopt the human girl, Riley Shepard, and it has brought a warmth to my heart. I am writing to inform you thatmy sister and I are committed to seeing that this adoption hits no 'snags' so to speak. We are taking care of everything.

From the Desk of Her Royal Highness,  
>Princess Celestia, the Eternal Sun<p>

Firefly reread the letter four times, and then went quiet for another minute after that.

"That is..." She trailed off, unsure of what to say as her own emotions roiled within her. "That is incredible. I... I don't know what to say."

"We'll have to thank her ourselves." Prism smiled and kisses his wife.

The door to the meeting room opened and everyone out in the hall turned to watch as Natalie stepped out, followed by Riley. Rainbow was instantly at her side, pestering her with questions that Riley answered with a small smile.

"We best be going," Natalie said with a smile. "We don't have much time left. We don't want to be late."


	12. Chapter Eleven - It Begins

Chapter Eleven - It Begins  
><span>Systems Alliance Supreme Court, New York, Earth

The main court of the supreme court was built with over five thousand seats, and platforms at the back to hold an extensive press corp. At the current moment, every seat was filled, with the public watching on to what had already promised to be the largest custody battle in the case of humanity, thanks in large part to the fact that it was the first time that an alien family was fighting for the right to adopt a human child. The packed room was thanks in no small part to the actions of Terra Firma, who had done their absolute best to see that everyone across all of the colonies and Earth herself knew of the case.

Hundreds of cameras floated in the back, carefully tended by their operators as they streamed the live case back to countless news stations across Citadel space. The whole room was filled with the dull roar of five-thousand voices.

On the side of the court that actually mattered, Terra Firma's lawyers sat next to Inez Simmons. They looked calm and collected, dressed in expensive suits, their holo-pads neatly laid out on the table before them. Inez Simmons looked across the aisle at the defense, a smug look chiseled onto his face.

The Court Room is packed, thanks to Terra Firma. Hundreds of cameras are filling the top of the room, filming the most high-profile case that arguably has ever taken place on Earth. On the left, Terra Firma's lawyers are sitting, with Inez Simmons staring across the aisle at the defense table.

Natalie and Riley sat at the defense table. Unlike Terra Firma's lawyers, Natalie looked much more laid back. She was dressed in a simple skirt, blouse, and jacket, her hair pulled back into a harsh bun. Riley sat next to her in a dark dress, her hair loose. She stared down at the table, idly listening to Natalie scrolling through her holo-pad as she looked over the final few matters of the defense. Prism, Firefly, Rainbow, and Anderson sat just behind the railing, providing as much emotional support as they possibly could, which wasn't much considering that they weren't allowed to speak. They were going to have to trust Natalie to get them through the entire matter.

"Rise, for the Chief Justice Brian Ackerson," the guard said, stepping forward.

The entirety of the room stood, the din of voices quieting instantly. From behind the judges bench, Chief Justice Brian Ackerson stepped out. He was a sharp looking man, intelligent, well-groomed with intelligent eyes. Ackerson had been presiding over the Supreme Court of the Systems Alliance since before the First Contact war, and he had been a judge for even longer than that. Well respected, there was almost no opposition when he had been granted the role of the Chief Justice. He sat and the whole court followed his example.

The trial began, and it seemed like everyone was talking at once, scrambling to make their voices herd over everyone else. The words became a blur as Riley found that her eyes couldn't focus on anything before her. Something is happening beyond her control, and she finds herself frozen in her seat.

"Breathe." A deep voice echoed through her head, reverberating through her soul.

Riley took a deep breath, inhaling before slumping down into her seat as her body relaxed. The voices continued, but she paid no mind to them. There was simply no reason for her to pay attention. The storm of the world calmed around her, and the voice continued to speak.

"Your species could be destroyed with a single thought," it said, with a calm voice that hinted at deeper feelings of anger and malevolence. "But you may yet be worth your continued survival."

The Terra Firma lawyer stepped forward, beginning to pontificate his opening statements. Riley watched him as he slowly strode back and forth in front of the judge, speaking to both the jury, the judge, and the entirety of the court. It was all very theatrical and perfectly designed to elicit as much emotion as possible.

While all of it was clear and in English, Riley was simply unable to focus on anything that was actually being said. Her eyes followed the lawyer back and forth, but she wasn't fully in the present. In the back of her mind, she felt a darkness, cold and wet. It slipped through her veins, filling her every pore.

"Your race squabbles in the dark, fighting against every perceived slight." The voice rose and fell, at times seeming to whisper, and at other moments it seemed to roar. "The Others will use that against you. They will set you against each other, and exploit your every weakness."

The lawyer was charming, his suit perfect and his teeth brilliantly white, which he used to their full effect. The cameras loved him, and the audience loved him even more.

"You must change that. You will be the agent our wills. To defeat the Others, you must bind them all together."

Riley looked up, and saw that the lawyer was wrapping up his opening statements.

Natalie leaned over, grinning, and whispered to Riley. "Damn. I don't know where Simmons pulled that guy out from, but he is good."

Riley looked at Natalie, snapping back to reality for just a moment. Natalie's grin grew wider and she put a comforting hand on Riley's arm. "Don't worry, Riley. I'm better."

Standing up, Natalie sauntered up to begin her own statements, a wide grin on her face. She faced the judge and jury before turning to the audience and the cameras beyond.

Riley quickly lost her focus before Natalie even opened her mouth to speak. She didn't notice judge watching her, nor did she notice the worried look on his face.

###

Laying back on her bed, Riley stared up at the ceiling of the hotel room. She had her hands folded together on her stomach, half-listening to whatever kids show was playing on the TV opposite the bed. Lying on the bed next to her, sprawled out and completely asleep was Rainbow Dash. It had been her to insist on watching the kids show, and she had fallen asleep only minutes past the first commercials. She snored softly, cuddled up as close as possible to her maybe new big sister.

Prism and Firefly watched the unresponsive girl from the doorway, which was partially cracked open. The day had ended at three, and they had been quick to return to their hotel. Rainbow had run everywhere full of pent up energy and had only calmed down after Prism took her down to the hotel's pool.

Stepping forward, Prism entered the room, Firefly following after him.

"How are you feeling, Riley?" Firefly asked, frowning.

Riley slowly refocused back on reality, looking over to see her two perspective adoptive parents looking at her with concerned smiles.

"I'm fine," she mumbled, struggling to meet their eyes.

"It's okay, Riley." Prism looked over her worriedly with concerned eyes. "You don't have to pretend."

Riley didn't say anything, just dropping her eyes to the floor, not making any eye-contact with the two pegasi.

They waited a moment to see if she was going to say anything.

Hoping she would.

She didn't.

Firefly put a hoof onto the mattress of the bed. "We're here if you need us, Riley. Please, come get us if you need anything."

The two pegasi turned and left the room, taking a last glance back at the girl.

Shutting the door behind themselves, Prism and Firefly back away. They shared a significant look with each other, concerned.

"I don't like this," Prism said with a sigh. His head hung low as he walked into the main room of the hotel room. "It isn't right."

"It might not be right," she said with a sigh, "But we can't do anything other than hope."

Firefly frowned, giving a small nudge. She agreed with him, but she felt absolutely useless.

"You can do a lot more than that, girl."

They turned to find Natalie standing behind them, holding a glass of wine with the top button of her shirt undone, barefoot. She smiled at them happily, and possibly a little drunk from the look of her.

"What are you doing drinking?" Firefly narrowed her eyes, looking at Natalie accusingly. "We're losing!"

"No, we're not." Natalie laughed, shaking her head confidently.

"I don't know what trial you were just at, but from where I was sitting we were losing." Prism glared at her. In his gut, worry and fear rolled through him. The entire matter was making him sick, and he just wanted it to end.

"It was only the first day." Natalie grimaced, downing the rest of her wine in the face of Prism's and Firefly's worries. "That bastard won't get me a second time."

The door opened and all three of them turned to look as Anderson stormed into the hotel room, shutting the door behind himself calmly, holding his back straight and professionally. As soon as the door was closed, he sagged as the weight of the day crashed down onto him.

"Are you alright David?" Firefly asked, stepping forward at the sight of her friend's pain. "Come on, take a seat."

David gratefully did so, sinking down onto the couch.

"Can I get you anything to drink?" Firefly asked. She was glad that she had come to know him, and counted him as one of her friends. "Something to eat? We have room service."

"No, thank you Firefly." David waved his hand in dismissal. "I just need to sit for awhile."

He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath.

"Commander, how are you doing?" Natalie asked, looking at David worriedly.

David opened his eyes, looking over to see Natalie standing with her empty wine glass. He laughed quietly to himself, shifting in his seat to get more comfortable. He shut his eyes again and leaned his head back. "Admiral Ballard called me in for a meeting. He was not happy."

"The bastard all but ordered me to cave to Terra Firma's demands." He grunted, shaking his head.

"Tell me exactly what happened." Natalie instantly perked up, instantly more focused on the conversation.

David cracked an eye open to look at Natalie for a moment before nodding.

"I was met outside of the Court House by one of Ballard's flunkies. They ordered me to accompany them on his orders for a meeting." He sighed, rubbing his eyes. "We took a shuttle to the Naval yard in Virginia, where they led me to the Admiral's office. He was kind, at least to start with. Offered me a drink before making small talk."

"I asked him why he wanted to meet with me and he instantly got serious. He told me that humanity was not ready to give our children to aliens." David shook his head. He clenched his fists together as the memories coursed through his head, and his knuckles went white.

"What exactly did he say?" Natalie asked, practically bouncing from excitement.

"Something along the lines of, 'Commander, your one of the best and brightest that has ever graced our Navy. It would be bad for a hero of humanity to tear our legs out from underneath us at such a crucial point in time. You don't want us to look weak to the rest of the galaxy, do you? It could be bad for you. You'll make the right choice, I'm sure'." David shrugged, not fully remembering but trying his best.

Natalie nodded, setting her glass down before sitting down on one of the chairs opposite the couch. She leaned forward, hanging on to his every word.

Anderson watched her, uncomfortable, before finally asking. "What?"

"This could be nothing, but if we can prove that Admiral Ballard is a party member with Terra Firma, it could really help our case. This is exactly the type of thing we need." She smiled, crossing her arms in satisfaction.

"And how exactly do we do that?" Prism stepped forwards, taking a seat next to David.

"Leave that to me." Natalie glanced at Prism, a sly grin on her face.

###

At the headquarters of Terra Firma, a party was in full swing. Every party member and their family was present, enjoying the free drinks and dinner. Music played by a live band and cake was absolutely everywhere. The Custody Battle was absolutely going in their favor, and they knew it. There was no way that Commander Anderson was going to win, and there was absolutely no way that Riley Shepard would not end up being adopted by a human family.

"To the most cutthroat lawyer that I have ever had the displeasure of knowing!" Inez Simmons shouted, holding up his glass of champagne as he stepped out of the elevator and into the office.

The entire room cheered, raising their glasses to the toast.

Inez turns back to the small group that had followed him up. Aaron Samuels, their lawyer, stood with his hands clasped behind his back as he looked over the room. Michael stood close to Inez, ready to answer his every request at a moments notice, a true believer.

"It is always our pleasure to help further the cause of humanity," Samuels said, grinning. It was a predatory look, like a shark.

Inez laughed, but Michael looked unsure. He stepped closer to Inez, leaning closer to whisper to him.

"Where exactly did you find this guy?" Michael asked, glancing at Samuels who was busy admiring the wife of one of their accountants who was wearing a dress several sizes too small. "I've never seen him before."

Inez sobered up instantly, looking Michael over carefully. He thought about it for a minute before deciding whether or not he even wanted to answer.

Glancing at Samuels, Inez gestured to his office. Samuel nodded back, glancing at Michael before calmly stepping in.

Inez put an arm over Michael's shoulder, smiling. "Come in, and we'll tell you."

They entered the office.

Inez shut and locked the door behind the two of them as they entered his office. He gestured for Michael to take one of the seats in front of his desk, before moving to pour himself a drink from the bottle he kept in the bottom drawer.

"Please Michael, take a seat."

Michael looked at Inez for a moment before taking a seat.

Inez walked over to join Samuels on leaning against the front of his desk, taking a sip of his drink as he looked down at Michael.

"Are you sure about this, Simmons?" Samuels asked Inez, studying Michael like one might an animal at the zoo.

"Michael's been with us since nearly the beginning." Inez shrugged, glancing at the lawyer. "I think its time to bring him in our little secret."

"I'm sure that you'll take care of it and make sure that everything is okay." He gave a knowing smirk to Samuels.

Samuels nodded his head, conceding the point.

"What's this all about?" Michael asked, looking at Inez worriedly.

"You've been helping our party for nearly a decade now, haven't you Michael." Inez full well knew the answer to the question, but asked it anyway.

"You know I have," Michael said.

"Well, we haven't told you everything." Inez looked proud at the secrets that he held. "There simply wasn't a need for you to know. Now though..."

He smiled, clapping Michael on the leg. "I think you're a big enough part of this party that you need to know about this."

"Know what?" Michael asked. With every word that Inez spoke, he grew more and more confused.

Samuels leaned forward, watching Michael's reactions carefully.

"Have you ever head of an organization called Cerberus?"

###

Twilight sat at her book covered desk, more of a table really, studying. It was her favorite thing to do in the world, and she took absolutely every opportunity available to do so. When the Princess personally guided her studying, it made the entire affair even better. She hummed quietly to herself as she absentmindedly turned the page on her book, A Brief History of Equestria.

A soft hmm broke her concentration and she looked up from her book to see Celestia sitting a few feet away from her, facing out towards a window as she red her omni-tool. Twilight couldn't wait until she was old enough to have her own. To have a device that could access billions of books... the very thought made Twilight quiver in excitement.

Twilight turned away from her studies.

"Princess?" She asked, looking up hopefully at her mentor.

Celestia broke away from her reading to look back at Twilight, offering her a small smile.

"Is something wrong," the filly asked.

Celestia had to think about it for a moment before she was able to answer Twilight. There were times that the unicorn filly was just too curious for her own good. "There is a trial that has managed to draw my attention."

"A trial?" Twilight's face scrunched up in confusion. "What is it over?"

"A young pegasus couple from Cloudsdale is looking to adopt an orphaned human child." With a sigh, Celestia shut her omni-tool. She turned fully to face Twilight, offering the girl her full attention. "There are some humans who despise the very idea of letting 'aliens' raise one of their own..."

Celestia scowled, glancing away. It was a moment that Twilight was proud to witness. There were very few ponies that Princess Celestia ever fully acted herself around, and she was one of them.

"Though I notice that none of them are eager to see that all human children have parents," Celestia continued.

"That's awful!" Twilight exclaimed, anger coursing through her body. "Why are they fighting to keep someone from having parents?"

"You are truly special to think so, Twilight." Celestia looked at Twilight compassionately. "You are better than quite a few of the people of the galaxy."

"What do you mean, Princess?" Twilight asked, cocking her head in confusion.

"It is alright, Twilight." Celestia laughed. "There is no need for you to worry about such matters."

"Okay, Princess!" Twilight smiled, trusting Celestia completely. The Princess would never lie to her. Turning back to her desk, Twilight got back to her studying.

When Twilight looked up again from her desk, she blushed in embarrassment when she realized that it was nighttime. The Princess had left at some point, but Twilight was embarrassed to remember that she can't quite remember when. She knew that she got too involved in her reading, and hated every time that she lost track of time. It wasn't proper for a pony to just lose themselves from the world around them.

Never the less, it happened too much for Twilight to ever actually admit.

"Twilight Sparkle."

Turning at the regal voice, Twilight found Princess Luna standing in the doorway, a smile on her face.

"It is time for us to escort you home, Twilight." Luna fluffed her wings.

Twilight smiled at the dark Alicorn, quickly stuffing some of her books into a pair of saddle-bags that sat her foot, already packed and ready to go. "Sure thing, Princess!"

Slipping on the saddle-bags, Twilight trotted over to the Princess, beaming up at her. "I'm Ready!"

"I can see that," Luna said, amused. She enjoyed her biweekly trips too and from the Sparkle household. It was a part of the arrangement that the Sparkle family had worked out with the crown over their daughter's studies. Weekdays at the castle learning with the Princesses, and weekends at her home. It had become one of her favorite times of the week. "Let us depart."

Bounding to her side, the two of them left the study room together.

Princess Luna had long ago learned that the long way around to the Sparkle house was the most beautiful. It allowed her the chance to see her little ponies outside of the night-court, and it was absolutely wonderful. The street lights were beautiful, and the night-life was even better. Her ponies loved the night. She had watched over the decades since Chelsea had awoken them all as they tended to get to sleep later and later.

Princess Luna escorted Twilight through the streets of Canterlot, trailed by two of her night-guards. Twilight was being unusually quiet, but Luna was more than happy to let her have her peace. She instead took the time to pony watch. They passed by the ponies waiting outside of the night-clubs and those enjoying the night air. Romance often filled the air, and Luna loved to provide nights perfect for such a mood. The moon hung overhead, casting its calming light down below and the stars twinkled happily.

"Princess..." Twilight finally spoke up, her voice hesitant.

Luna looked down at Twilight as they continued walking. "Yes, Twilight?"

Twilight chewed on her lip for a moment before asking her question. She sounded conflicted. "Why would anypony want to keep a foal from being adopted?"

Stopping, Luna looked back at Twilight contemplatively. She thought for a moment before the answer appeared to her. "You are speaking of the trial of Riley Shepard?"

"I think so?" Twilight wasn't sure, but she willing to guess.

"The human that a pony family wants to adopt?" Luna clarified.

"Yeah!" Twilight almost bounced in excitement. When Celestia wouldn't answer a question of hers, Luna was the one to go to. "That's what Princess Celestia said."

Luna was silent for a moment, looking Twilight over before answering. "You ask a difficult question, Twilight."

"Princess Celestia said I was too young for such matters," Twilight explained, glaring ever so slightly. She truly loved Celestia, but sometimes she treated Twilight like she was four, not seven.

"That does indeed sound like my sister." Luna laughed. She leaned close to Twilight, speaking conspiratorially. "Sometimes, she forgets that she cannot make every problem disappear, and that our ponies can handle so much more than she believes sometimes. She has more than a bit of our mother in her."

Luna stood back up to her full height.

Thinking it over for a moment, Luna finalized an answer in her mind that satisfied her. "They are afraid."

"Afraid?" Twilight scrunched up her nose. "What do you mean, Princess?"

"They are afraid of change, of the other, of those that they cannot comprehend. They are afraid, so they fight back against that which they fear. First it was us, then it was the Turians, and now it seems that it is anyone who is not human." As she explained the way the galaxy worked, Luna hung her head ever so slightly. "It is not always a logical thing, but there are even those among Equestria who feel the same way."

Looking down at Twilight, Luna gave the filly an encouraging smile. "You do not need to be afraid, Twilight Sparkle. Always remember that. Though everything might seem to be crashing down around you, there are always those who will stand by your side no matter what."

Twilight looked up at Luna, seeing her in a new light. She nodded her head. "I promise, Princess."

"That is good." Luna held out a hoof for Twilight, motioning down the street. "Now, let us return you home. We are sure that your parents are waiting."


	13. Chapter Twelve - Final Judgement

Chapter Twelve - Final Judgement

The boiling surface of the sun was the sole reason that he had even had the station built in the first place. There were other places he could hide the seat of his shadow empire, places that didn't require constant course corrections and monitoring, but none of them had quite the view of beauty, power, and rage. It fit the Illusive Man to the very core of his being.

He stood in his office, his inner sanctum of polished glass and steel, looking the darkly tinted window at the star Anadius before him. Without the glass, he would have been unable to actual look at the star that made his office the most desirable spot onboard Cronos Station. With it, what should have been blinding was dimmed to far more manageable levels.

Taking a sip from the glass of scotch he held loosely in his hands, the Illusive Man turned, walking through the holo-displays that served as his computer monitors. Pausing, the Illusive Man looked over the monitors, frowning at what he saw before him.

He quickly downed the rest of his glass.

Easing himself down into his chair, he quickly pressed several of the discrete buttons on its arm rest. The actions had long since become muscle memory and he didn't even have to look to make sure he was pressing the right ones.

A door hissed open and one of his most promising lieutenants entered, summoned by his call. Miranda Lawson, the perfect woman. Created in a test-tube from the DNA of Henry Lawson, the trillionaire mogul with a rather unrealistic dream of living forever, Miranda was everything that Henry was not. She was tall, statuesque, beautiful beyond compare, with an intelligence sharper than all but a handful in the galaxy. She was the type of woman who knows how to use all of her assets to her advantage. When she had run from her home, he had been waiting to save her, offering her everything she asked for and more.

The Illusive Man admitted to himself that he would be hard-pressed to find a more loyal woman.

"Sir." Miranda stopped just in front of him, out of the way of his monitors. She clasped her hands loosely behind her back, waiting for him to reveal the purpose of his summons.

She didn't have to wait long.

"Miranda," the Illusive Man said, taking a moment to light a cigarette with his favorite lighter.

Miranda didn't say anything, just waiting for her employer to speak. He gestured behind her at the monitors, which she turned and glanced over, speed-reading over everything.

"What is your take on all of this?" He asked, watching her every move intently. He already knew what he would do with everything, but he was grooming the brunette to eventually take over the position of his second in command. He made sure to lead her, guide her, shape the way she learned to make decisions at every opportunity that had presented itself to him.

Miranda turned fully to face the monitors, taking a closer look. After a moment, she gestured at the closest monitor to her, with a large headline that read "EEZO ACCIDENT OVER YANDOA". She bites the inside of her lip.

"The potential is immense here. I would send our doctors to help with the relief care would give us a chance to gather data." She frowned, chewing her lip. "We could set up a long-term study of human expose to element zero."

The Illusive Man said nothing, just listening to Miranda.

She turned to the next monitor, which was open to a news page about the custody battle over Riley Shepard. She grimaced, crossing her arms. "Terra Firma has no chance of coming out on top over this."

She turned to face the Illusive Man, her brow furrowed in confusion. "I can only wonder what Simmons was thinking when he started this. I think that Terra Firma is definitely over-extending themselves. Even if they win, they are going to lose a lot of public approval over this. That could come around to hurt our own public image."

"I agree." The Illusive Man nodded, tapping his fingers against his empty scotch glass.

He pressed another button on his arm rest. A moment passed, and deep within the heart of the station a superluminal signal flew out, slipping through the back door of the nearest turian comm-buoy, worming through an Asari starship's computer banks, then slipping through another back door on a comm-buoy to Earth. All of that took less than three-seconds, and then a monitor opened with a live connection to Ethan Salitoran.

"Ethan, I have a job for you." The Illusive Man nodded in greeting to his number one enforcer.

"Illusive Man! God... It is incredibly awkward to talk to you. I still don't know how I should address you. Mr. Illusive? Mr. Man?" Salitoran smiled, clapping his hands together, happy to do his own work. "Tim? No. That's stupid."

"I need you to talk with Inez Simmons." The Illusive Man ignored Ethan's ramblings. He didn't pay him for his wonderful philosophical skills. "He is going off the deep end, and the public isn't going to keep tolerating them for much longer."

"What do you want me to do?" Ethan asked, his attention focusing on the Illusive Man.

"Talk some sense into him." The Illusive Man said vaguely. At this point, he honestly didn't care what happened to Inez Simmons. He would leave it up to Ethan's own discrimination.

"I can do that." Ethan nodded, grinning widely.

The monitor blinked out of existence as Ethan cut the connection.

Miranda finally looked away from the picture of Riley on the monitor that she had been staring at through the Illusive Man's entire conversation with Ethan. She pointed at the picture as she asked him, "Sir, what do you think of her?"

"She is nothing." The Illusive Man dismissed the girl, his mind already moving onto bigger issues. "Just a victim drawn into the web of predators beyond her understanding."

Miranda didn't say anything, but from the way her nose ever so slightly crinkled the Illusive Man could tell that she didn't agree with him. That was fine. It was better when his people could think for themselves. He wasn't omnipotent after all.

###

The past week had been hell. The trial had taken everything out of Riley, and she could feel the exhaustion just weighing down on her. The week had been full of emotions that tore at everyone's hearts, and she wasn't sure that her own could last for much longer.

Riley stepped out of her room for what was hopefully the last day. Deep bags sat under her eyes, and while her makeup is applied perfectly, she looked tired. Rainbow tagged along at her feet, having stuck faithfully at Riley's side for the entire week. She was too young to fully understand and grasp the importance of what was happening in the trial, but she knew that Riley smiled more when she was around. After coming to that realization, the little filly was careful to make sure she was within a quick galloping distance from the older human girl.

"Hey, Riley?" Rainbow asked, her face scrunching up as a huge thought crashed down over her.

"Yeah?" Stopping, Riley looked down at the little filly.

"Do you..." Rainbow stopped, dropping back to sit on her haunches. She looked up at Riley in confusion. "Do you want to be my big sister?"

Riley froze, her mind screeching to a halt as the entirety of the question coursed through her. She considered Rainbow for a moment before sitting down cross-legged in front of pegasus. She reached out and took one of Rainbow's forehooves in her hand.

"I would like nothing more," Riley murmured. She sighed, glancing down at the ground, biting her lip before continuing. "It might not happen. Don't get your hopes up too much."

"But..." Rainbow frowned, emotions welling up inside of her. She shuffled closer to Riley, her face torn. "I want you to be my sister."

Riley didn't quite know what to do with Rainbow's statement, rocking back a little. Before the entire incident on Mindoir, she had never had a close relationship with her little sister Jane. She regretted that now, and wished that she could go back and change everything.

She didn't let go of Rainbow's hoof, but her eyes pulled away from reality for a moment. Her mind struggled to make connections, attachments forming where there weren't any before. She might not be able to change the past, but she could start now.

Making her decision, Riley snapped back to reality. Pulling Rainbow closer, she wrapped the filly in a tender hug, pouring all of her heart into the hug.

"I do too, Rainbow," she whispered into Rainbow's ears.

Rainbow wrapped her forelegs as far around Riley as she possibly could, nuzzling into her neck. She screwed her eyes shut, praying to whatever deity that might have been listening that everything would go their way.

Standing, Riley easily bore the weight of the little filly, lifting her to set her on her shoulders. She giggled as she realized that she very well might have been the first human to give a pony, a pony back ride.

Rainbow propped herself up, her back legs on both of Riley's shoulders, her forehooves holding onto Riley's head.

They continued on into the living area, to be met with the sight of everyone waiting for them on the couches. When Prism and Firefly caught sight of them, wide smiles grew on their faces.

"Hi mom, dad!" Rainbow waved to her mom and dad, practically shouting.

Waiting by the door, Natalie impatiently checked the time on her omni-tool, ready to get going. "The shuttle is waiting. We need to get going."

Everyone looked at her as if they were realizing she was there for the first time.

###

The entire group sat in their shuttle, waiting quietly to arrive at the Supreme Court. Riley watched out the main window as New York passed by outside, Rainbow sitting next to her. The filly had her head in Riley's lap, a goofy smile on her face as the human scratched her between her ears. They were closer than they had ever been, and everyone else in the shuttle noticed it.

Firefly couldn't help but notice that her two girls were sticking as close together as possible, for emotional support she supposed. It warmed her heart to know that Riley got along so well with Rainbow.

Riley watched, resigned, as the shuttle flew in to land outside the entrance to the court house. Settling in to land with a gentle thump, the door slid open to let out all of their passengers.

Anderson and Prism were the first out of the shuttle, tense as they ushered the rest of their group out. They kept a firm watch on the crowds behind the police barricade. Firefly and Natalie stepped out after the two soldiers, followed by Rainbow who bounced after them. Riley took a deep breath, preparing herself before she stepped out. The adults quickly formed up on her, shielding her from the sight of the crowd beyond.

Together, they all walked up the steps to the entrance of the Supreme Court, ignoring the cameras as best as they could. Police officers kept the crowds back, which had swelled in size over the course of the trial. The turn out for the final day was absolutely astonishing.

As soon as they entered the Court House, blessed silence greeted them. Riley breathed a sigh of relief, slumping ever so slightly as the doors shut behind them.

"Ms. Shepard."

As one, the entire group turned to watch as an aide walked towards them. Smiling, he nodded in greeting to Riley. "Chief Justice Ackerson would love the chance to speak with you before we start today."

Riley glanced back at Natalie, who nodded encouragingly to her.

"Alright." Riley looked back at the aide, giving a small nod.

"Please, his office is this way." The aide gestures towards a staircase. He led Riley up and away from the rest of her group.

###

Waiting in his office, Ackerson took a deep breath. It took quite a bit to keep himself impartial during the past week and he was feeling the strain as much as he imagined Ms. Shepard was. Blindly looking over the spines of the books covering his shelves, he waited for his aide to return. Dressed in a fine suit, he relished the last few moments before he had to don his stifling robes, which hung from a rack in the corner of his office.

A knock at the door drew his attention back to reality.

"Enter," Ackerson said after clearing his throat.

The door to his office opened and his aide stepped inside.

"I have Riley Shepard to see you, sir," he simply said.

Ackerson stood, straightening his sleeves before he walked around his desk to welcome the girl. He gestured at his aide. "Please, bring her in."

Stepping aside, the aide made room for Riley to shuffle into the room. She glanced around Ackerson's office nervously, trying her best to not look like she wanted to run away and hide. The fact that there was nowhere for her to go probably didn't help, Ackerson thought to himself.

Quietly, the aide left the room, shutting the door behind himself. Ackerson ignored that, instead focusing his attention on Riley.

"Thank you for agreeing to speak with me." He made sure to speak quietly, not wanting to scare the poor girl anymore than she already looked.

Riley just nodded, her lips sealed shut tight.

"Please, have a seat." Ackerson motioned towards one of the plush chairs in front of his desk.

Riley shuffles forward again, dropping down into the nearest of his two seats. Ackerson walked back around his desk to sit in his own chair. Taking a moment to settle down and get comfortable, Ackerson studied Riley's face.

"I wanted to tell you that you have been acting admirably through this debacle." He was honest about that, not just giving Riley false reassurances. For such a young girl, she was holding up better than quite a few adults that he had had the pleasure of witnessing in his long time in the court system.

"Thank you, sir," Riley whispered. It was one of the few times that he had actually heard her speak since the beginning of the trial, and her voice surprised him, but only for a moment.

"I want to ask you a question, and I want you to answer it honestly." With a sigh, Ackerson leaned back in his seat.

Pushing himself up out of his chair, Ackerson stood. A nervous energy pulsed through his body and he couldn't fight the urge inside him to move. Pacing around to the front of his desk, Ackerson leaned back against it and stuffed his hands into his pockets.

"You don't have to say anything that you don't want to, but it will certainly help me make my final decision." He tried his best to reassure her, but there was only so much that he could do. It was up to the girl if she wanted to be a part of his decision or not.

Riley glanced down at her lap, nervously trying to smooth a wrinkle out of her dress.

"I want you to know, no matter what you say, I am committed to seeing that you are placed in a loving home," Ackerson finally said after a long moment of silence. It might not be the most ideal situation, but he would do what he could.

"Yes, sir," Riley whispered nervously.

Ackerson frowned at her, concerned at her timidity. It would take more than a few sessions with a therapist to work through the things that she had seen, he was sure.

"I want you to tell me what you want." Ackerson began to explain. "I have heard what Inez wants, and I've heard what Commander Anderson and Mrs. Moore want, but through this entire trial, I have not heard from you. I believe that it is most definitely an oversight, and not at all an unnoticed one, but we have an opportunity to speak now."

Riley bit her lip, her eyes lowered. She didn't say anything for a long minute, and Ackerson waited patiently.

Finally, she opened her mouth, shut it, then opened it again.

###

Ackerson entered the court room, ignoring the heat of his robe, and everyone stood. Ignoring them, he took a seat. The entire audience sat at his example, and with that, the trial began.

Sitting at the defendants table, Riley stared down at the grain of the wood, ignoring the stares from everyone behind her. She tried her best to pretend that she was the only one to exist.

The room was silent for a moment as Ackerson settled. He looked out over the crowd, tried to meet eyes with Riley, then proceeded to speak when she refused to look up from the table.

"The past month has been an incredibly difficult time for all of us. With two tragedies on two seperate colonies, and the loss of tens of thousands of lives, the Systems Alliance has never before faced a more difficult time." It was in a ways true. Very few lives had been lost during the Skirmish of Shanxi, but that was due in large part to the few Equestrians who had made the planet their home before the Turian invasion. The humans had quickly learned that unicorns were a force multiplier like none other, and the Turians learned to think twice before messing with a race that could manipulate the weather at a whim.

After all, Turians did not swim.

Riley could hear Rainbow shuffling nervously behind her, and she felt a small grin threaten to break out over her face. She admired how much the rambunctious filly was managing to keep herself calm and quiet during everything. She couldn't help but feel that the little pegasus was doing it only for her.

"Through all of that, this trial has torn open all sorts of wounds that had only just began to heal. We have been forced to confront the knowledge that we still have so much growing left to do, and that we are only just now taking our first steps into the galaxy. We have so much left to learn, and we are children fighting against anything and everything that might bring us harm." Ackerson continued his speech. There was nothing left but for him to make his decision and everyone waited with bated breath.

Riley glanced up at Ackerson, and he spared a moment to give her a warm, apologetic smile. He was more than sorry that she had had to be dragged into the middle of the entire debacle.

"There has been a lot of talk about who should get custody of Riley Shepard. A loving human family, or the Rainbow family. Both choices have their pros and cons, but it was not a hard decision."

"Ms. Shepard has been through a horrible experience. Losing her entire family before her eyes, she deserves to have something go right." Looking at the Terra Firma table, Ackerson narrowed his eyes ever so slightly.

Glancing at Riley, he then turned back to face Terra Firma's table, catching eyes with Inez Simmons. The leader of Terra Firma frowned ever so slightly, anger raging behind his eyes.

"While I do believe that she would be able to find happiness with a human family, that is not what has truly been on trial here. Terra Firma would have us all believe that setting aside our prejudices would lead to doom for the human race." Ackerson ignored Simmon's glare, instead he ensured that he set humanity on a path that might forever save it from the darkness beyond. He wondered for moment if children years from now would watch this trial in their classrooms, but he dismissed that from his mind. It wasn't important, and there were bigger things for him to deal with.

"I do not agree." He shook his head. "I believe that we can only become better. To that end, I agree with Ms. Shepard's wish."

"I hereby grant Rainbow Prism and Firefly Shimmer custody of Riley Jane Shepard." Picking up his gavel, Ackerson proclaimed his decision calmly and clearly.

The audience was stunned silent for a moment, but they quickly erupted in surprised shouts. Natalie grinned proudly, turning in her chair to look at the Rainbow family and Anderson smugly.

Riley just slumped in her seat, the stress of the past week leaving her body.

Across the aisle, Inez Simmons clenched his fists, glaring at Samuels, who looked as stunned as more than a few members of the audience. Everything had gone wrong, and it was the lawyer's fault.

###

The Rainbow family entered the hotel room in stunned silence. They had been almost entirely quiet the entire shuttle ride back, more than a little surprised that they had actually won. Entering the room, they shut the door, and collapsed in relief onto the chairs and couches in the living area of the room.

Immediately, Rainbow jumped onto Riley's lap, curling up happily with a smug smile on her muzzle. The most put together of the group, she was the only one out of all of them to know without a doubt that Riley would of course be her sister. Anything else was just lunacy. While everyone else had been struggling to understand what had just happened back in the court room, Rainbow had just basked in the knowledge that she was smarter than more than a few adults she saw.

"We won." Prism broke the silence first, speaking in a hushed whisper. His voice sounded surprised.

"We won." Giggling, Firefly bumped against his side.

"We won!" Rainbow chirped, nuzzling against Riley happily. She stood on her back hooves and wrapped her forehooves around Riley's neck in a hug, rocking back and forth in excitement. "We're sisters!"

Riley instinctively hugged Rainbow back, still shocked about what had happened.

"Sisters," she whispered, staring at nothing in particular. She looked down into Rainbow's smiling face. Tears began to well in her eyes, and she wrapped her arms around her new pegasus sister, burying her face in her mane. With a muffled sob, Riley started to cry, letting it all out.

Sharing a glance with each other, Prism and Firefly get up off the couch, joining Riley and Rainbow in their hug.

"Welcome to the family, Riley."

They could all feel the relief in those words.

###

Stewing in his office, Admiral Ballard waited for Anderson to arrive. His fingers steepled together as he stared blindly at his door, he couldn't help but wonder where the Alliance had gone so wrong. Humanity was slipping, and it needed strong men and women to keep it from vanishing forever into the black hole of blind trust. There would be no more handing over the keys to the palace to any of the other races on his watch.

The intercom to his office crackled to life and his secretary spoke curtly. "Admiral, Commander Anderson is here."

"Send him in." Ballard smiled, standing. Anderson might have been able to get away with letting the moral fiber of the Alliance fall apart legally, but he would ensure that no such thing ever happened again on his watch.

A few moments passed, and then the door to his office opened. Anderson stepped in, each step crisp and professional, his uniform pressed and shoes shined. He came to attention with the ease that only a career soldier could ever pull off.

"At ease, Commander." Ballard turned away from Anderson. There was no need to grant the traitor a face to face conversation.

Anderson relaxed, ever so slightly, his eyes firmly watching Ballard.

"Do you know why I have called you here, Commander?" Ballard asked, staring out the window of his office to the Hudson River beyond.

Anderson managed to restrain himself from glaring at Ballard like he so badly wanted to, not that the Admiral would have been able to see. Still, it was the principle of the matter, and David knew that he was better than the Admiral. He would not give him the pleasure of stooping to his level. "I believe I do, sir."

"No." Ballard shook his head, smiling at the foolishness of the larger man. "No, I do not believe that you do."

Walking back to his desk, he left Anderson to stand uncomfortably in the doorway. Opening the top drawer of his desk he pulled out a single sealed envelope. He rolled it over in his hands a few times.

"I have your orders, Commander." Ballard looked at Anderson with a grin, one that ever so slightly spoke of malicious intent.

"Orders, sir?" Anderson had no clue what the Admiral was talking about. "I'm on leave."

"You're being recalled." Ballard felt a shiver of pleasure rush down his spine as he said that, watching as Anderson fought to keep from doing anything stupid.

The man was pissed off, but there was absolutely nothing that he could do about it.

"What are my orders, sir?" Anderson asked through clenched teeth.

Ballard held out the envelope for Anderson to take.

Taking a deep breath, Anderson stepped forward. He grabbed the envelope from the Admiral's hand with more force than was necessary, but he managed to keep the majority of his emotions under check. Breaking the seal, he pulled out the letter within.

As he read the letter, Anderson's eyes widened in disbelief. The orders were completely legitimate and he knew deep down that no matter how much he wanted to fight and rage, there was nothing he could about it. They were clearly a punishment, and he knew that all he could do was just stand there and take it. He had pissed off the Admiral, and he had to face the consequences.

"Is everything okay, Commander?" Ballard asked, his lips twitching upwards ever so slightly.

"Yes." Anderson resisted the urge to crumple up the paper and throw it at the man. "Sir."

###

Riley lay fast asleep on her bed, the exhaustion of such a long week having caught up with her only minutes after they had returned to the hotel room. The television was the only source of light in the room, and its sound was turned down to almost nothing. Rainbow was curled up next to her, watching her new big sister with a happy little smile on her muzzle.

Reaching a hoof out, Rainbow rested it comfortingly on Riley's shoulder.

"I have a sister," she whispered almost reverently to herself.

She smiled to herself, turning her attention back to watch the TV. Some kids show was playing, and the sound is down nearly too low for her to hear, but she was happy. It was the best day ever after all.

Rainbow's attention was instantly torn away from the TV when Riley whimpered in her sleep. Turning to look at her, Rainbow watched as Riley's face contorted in terror, a nightmare the filly guessed. The human girl started to squirm in her sleep.

"No... Please..." Her voice was quiet, but still loud enough for Rainbow to her. "Jane, Mommy, Dad, no! Get away!"

Rainbow frowned, unsure of what to do. She reached out a hoof to comfort her, but stopped, unsure of what she should do.

Deciding that it didn't matter, Rainbow put her hoof on Riley's shoulder, rubbing small circles gently on her, nuzzling up under her arm. "It's okay, Riley. It's just a nightmare. You're safe, and we're going to go home and we'll be the best sisters in all of Equestria."

Riley whimpered again, and Rainbow frowned. She didn't like that her new big sister was having a nightmare and there was nothing she could do about it.

"NO!" Riley awoke with a scream, scrambling out of bed. She fell to the floor with a loud thump, her eyes wide in panic as reality struggled to set in on her.

Rainbow crawled to the edge of the bed, peering over to see Riley shuddering uneasily on the floor, curled up in a ball.

"Riley?" She asked softly, watching the girl with concerned eyes.

Riley didn't answer, her mind having not fully made its back to consciousness yet.

"Riley, are you alright?" Rainbow asked again, louder this time.

Again there was no response from Riley.

The pegasus filly jumped down off of the bed with a quiet grunt and nuzzled up against Riley, looking at her worriedly. "Riley? It's okay, I'm here."

"R-Rainbow..." Riley finally noticed that Rainbow was trying to get her attention. "What's happening?"

"You were having a nightmare and you fell out of bed," Rainbow deadpanned.

"Oh." Riley glanced down at the floor.

"It's okay." Rainbow hugged her, sensing a wave of sadness about to hit her sister.

They sat together in silence, getting their comfort from each other.

It was going to be okay.


	14. Chapter Thirteen - A New Beginning

Chapter Thirteen - A New Beginning

It had taken Riley several hours to get back to sleep after waking from her nightmare. Rainbow had fallen asleep on her own quickly enough after they had both climbed back up onto the bed, but Riley had stayed awake scratching the filly's ears as dark thoughts and memories filled her head. Daybreak couldn't have come soon enough.

Sometime in the night, Riley had managed to doze off, only to be roused by Firefly announcing that breakfast was ready. Rainbow eagerly scampered into the kitchen, Riley following at a much more sedate pace behind.

Firefly had laid the table out before coming to get her daughters, and Riley was slightly surprised to only see three plates. She looked to Firefly, who quickly got Riley's silent question and answered her.

"Prism and David went out to get our tickets booked for the flight back to Equestria."

With that little question out of the way, they sat down and began to eat. Rainbow dug in with a gusto most often saved for younger members of the opposite sex, noisily munching down on her stack of pancakes like there was no tomorrow. Syrup was quickly matted over the fur of her muzzle, but the filly paid no mind to that. There was breakfast to eaten after all.

Riley took her own, much more sedate pace. Her stomach felt ill and empty thoughts churned restlessly through her mind. She barely even tasted the food, going through the motions. The memories were stuck in her head, no matter what Rainbow might tell her. There was no way that she could run from herself, no matter how much she wanted to. The blood of her little sister Jane, who never put the cap back on the toothpaste and always broke into her room to steal her books, had stained her hands as she cradled the girl's dying body. The gurgling gasps for air and the mindless fear behind her blue eyes, Riley had watched her die, felt her heart beat its last.

She had watched as her father was torn to pieces, and her mother was shot dead. The blood of her whole family stained her, and Riley was beginning to accept that she might not ever be able to free herself from that. It was her fault, and no amount of lies would change that.

Firefly carefully watched Riley as her two girls ate breakfast. The teenager just stared down at her food, only bothering to take a bite whenever Rainbow happened to be loud enough to surprise her. She silently thanked her filly's graceless eating habits for once. Anything that could get through to the traumatized girl was Celestia sent as far as Firefly was concerned.

As she sat there, taking a long drink from her glass of orange juice, Firefly started to think of what would need to be done once they got back to Equestria. There was no question in her mind that they would have to find the best healers in all of Equestria to give Riley the chance of getting back to normal. A dark part of her mind wondered if it was even possible to be normal after seeing such horrors.

She simply didn't know.

Riley looked physically exhausted, but Firefly was glad to note that there was a lightness around her shoulders that had simply not been there the day before. She wondered if there was any relief in knowing that she didn't have to worry about being torn away once again from everything that she knew. All of the drama was over, and Riley could begin healing now, at least if she let herself.

Firefly frowned to herself, hiding it from Rainbow's far more attentive gaze with a bite of her much smaller stack of pancakes.

Rainbow hummed happily to herself as she munched on her eggs, happily clueless to her mother's worried thoughts and her new sisters own dark imaginings.

When the hotel door opened, the three all turned to look and watch as Prism and Anderson walked in. Rainbow waved happily as she polished off the rest of her pancakes.

Prism smiled and gave his wife a quick kiss as Anderson took one of the seats at the table between Riley and Rainbow. Prism eased himself onto one of the seats next to Firefly.

"We got the tickets," he told her, stealing her orange juice. He downed the rest of the glass and gave her a cheeky grin. "We're leaving for Equestria tomorrow."

"Good." Firefly nodded, giving Prism a slight glare for taking her juice. She didn't say anything further on the matter, instead turning to Riley. "That will give us some time."

Riley looked up at that statement in confusion.

"Time for what?" She asked, her voice quiet.

"We need to make sure that you have everything that you need before we head home," Firefly explained. It was something that she had thought through during the trial, and had brought up to Prism the night before.

"What do I need?" Riley cocked her head, having no clue what they were talking about.

"An entire wardrobe, for one." Prism nodded his head. It had been much to all of Equestria's surprise when they learned that it wasn't the norm to go about one's business naked. They certainly weren't going to force their human daughter to do the like. It wouldn't be proper. "We also need to get anything else that might not be available for humans on Equestria."

"Oh." Riley ducked her head, understanding. She hoped that the blush on her cheeks wasn't too obvious. "Alright."

"It sounds like a plan, then." Firefly pushed the rest of her breakfast in front of Prism, letting him finish off her leftovers. "We can do all the shopping today, after we finish breakfast."

"I am afraid that I won't be coming with you." Anderson gave a deep sigh, looking down at the table for a moment, a sad look crossing his face. He had already spoken to Prism about it when they had gone to secure passage back to Equestria.

"Ya' won't?" Rainbow looked up, paying no mind to the crumbs of pancake sticking to the syrup on her mouth. "Why not?"

"I've been ordered to meet up with the Third Fleet at Arcturus before it leaves for patrols." Anderson shook his head, watching Riley for any sort of reaction. He was disappointed when all she did was just stare down at her plate. "I'm taking charge of an N7 squad."

The enthusiasm that was present in the room moments before took a massive nose dive after Anderson's announcement, but Anderson was quick to try his best to see that it didn't sink any further.

"There's no need for any sadness," Anderson said. He knew that he needed to back out and give them a chance to move past everything."You are all going to have a lot on your plates without worrying about having me around."

"We like have you around though." Rainbow nudged him with a smile.

"And I like being here." Anderson smiled at Rainbow, reaching over to ruffle her mane. "But I've been away from my job for far too long now and it's time that I get back to it."

"Well..." Prism pushed his plate away, easing himself out of his seat. Trailing off, he glanced over at Firefly, who smiled at him encouragingly. "We should get going. I'm sure that we're going to end up spending the entire day out shopping."

"I'm ready." Firefly got out of her own seat.

"Me too!" Bouncing out of her own seat, Rainbow almost knocked her plate off the table with the furious flaps of her wings. She grinned, prancing over to her mother. She tried to nuzzle up against Firefly, but the older mare stopped her.

"You're a mess, Rainbow." Firefly laughed. Taking a napkin from the table, she wiped Rainbow's face clean.

"I'm ready," Riley murmured, standing up and ignoring her own plate.

Firefly glanced at Riley's plate and frowned. The girl had barely eaten anything. She didn't say anything though. There was no point to raising an argument at the moment. If it continued though, she would definitely confront her about it.

####

If you needed to buy anything from toilet-paper to body armor, Hyland-Sorah was the place to go, at least on Earth. Founded in the mid-21st century, Hyland-Sorah started its life as a weapons developer, but it quickly expanded outwards with the advent of ever cheapening space travel. It was only thanks to their veritable army of lawyers that Hyland-Sorah managed to keep its doors open despite cries of monopoly and ethics violations too long to list. The corporations super-store in New York was considered to be one of the must-see places of the entire city.

It was thanks to the suggestion of the hotel's front desk that the Rainbow Family even bothered to travel to the infamous store. Whatever they had been expecting, this store exceeded each and every one of them.

Taking up the entire first fifteen floors of the tallest skyscraper in New-York, the store was designed perfectly to entice customers to buy, buy, buy. It would be easier to list things that they did not sell, which mostly just included vehicles larger than an aircar.

The store existed solely for customers to get lost in its elegantly designed labryinths of aisles and show-rooms, with glimmering display cases and absolute top of the line products all placed ever so carefully to seperate consumers from their hard-earned money. You could purchase absolutely everything you needed with no reason to ever shop elsewhere. Food, clothing, electronics, and absolutely everything else, it was a true one stop shop.

The Rainbow family just stood in the entrance for a long moment, overwhelmed and unsure of where to even begin.

"Whoa..." Rainbow was the first to speak, her voice impressed beyond belief. "That's a whole lotta' stuff."

"Yeah..." Prism nodded, his eyes wide as he agreed with his daughter.

"Oh my Celestia." Firefly wanted badly to swear, but with her daughters present she kept mindful of her language.

"You can say that again," Prism murmured to her.

Riley was silent, but she was just as impressed as the rest of them. There was nothing like this back on Mindoir. There simply wasn't enough of a population to ever support a store of that size, and that was before...

Shutting her eyes, Riley stopped that line of thinking as quickly as she possibly could.

"I..." With wide-eyes, Firefly looked over the store. "I don't even know where to begin."

Anderson smiled, taking a moment to appreciate the simple naiveness of his companions. Equestria was a much more innocent place, without the greed and corruption that filled the larger corporations of Earth and humanity. He looked up at the directions hanging above the entrance and quickly gathered his bearings together, glad that he would be able to help. "It looks like the department for teenage girls is on the tenth floor."

"What?" Firefly looked up at the man in surprise and more than a little relief. "Where did you see that?"

Anderson pointed up at the signs and Firefly promptly face hoofed, a deep red blush shining through her fur.

"Right." She looked over sheepishly at Prism, who shrugged, just as overwhelmed as her. "We should have seen that."

"Yes." Prism nodded. "Yes we should have."

Anderson gestured towards an elevator that sat in the center of the building. "Come on. Let's go."

Stepping out of the elevator and onto the tenth floor, the Rainbow family steps was met with a barrage of visually stunning displays, with mannequins modeling the latest fashions, posed to draw as much attention to them as possible. Smiling clerks filled the entire floor, dressed in flattering skirts and tight blouses, all with bright smiles on their faces searching for customers to help part from their money.

Firefly took a deep breath, not used to shopping on this level. Clothing was really only worn on special occasions in Equestria, and they were sold tailor made by boutiques and small businesses. A mega-corp was so far outside of her frame of reference that the closest she could even compare it too was the factories that built the ships for the Royal Guard.

One of the clerks quickly spotted their unease nearly from the moment they stepped out of the elevator. Smiling and cheery, she bounced over to them, greeting them happily.

"Hello there, my name is Yara." She gave a little wave, meeting eyes with the three females of the group. "Is there anything that I could help you with?"

"Yes!" Firefly nearly shouted, sagging ever so slightly in relief, her wings shuffling against her sides. "We have no idea where to even start. This is all new to us."

"Well." Yara smiled even wider. "I can certainly help with that. What is it that you need?"

"We are looking to get her everything that she needs for at least for years away from any human stores." Firefly gestured at Riley. There were simply some things the girl would need that just weren't available on Equestria, and she wanted to be sure that Riley had everything she would need.

"Do you have a budget in mind?" Yara's eyes widened and she had to stop herself from squealing in excitement. Making commission on something like this would definitely make her month, if not her year.

"We would like to keep it reasonable, but we aren't looking to be stingy." Prism didn't want to imagine the bill for this little trip. Firefly was the one making the big bits in the family, and he would let her faint at the price. Being a Wonderbolt wasn't a low-paying job, but it didn't pay like being a ten-time Canterlot Times Bestseller.

"Excellent! Why don't we start over this way?" Yara's grin stretched almost painfully. She gestured towards the underwear section. Anderson and Prism blushed nearly as one, and the two of them glanced uneasily at each other.

"Fly, David and I will be back in an hour or so," Prism said, turning to his wife. "We're going to go look at... stuff."

"We'll see you in an hour. Go have fun." Firefly giggled at the two of them, waving them off.

Prism and Anderson rushed away as fast as they possibly could, but tried to look as smooth as possible while doing so, beating a hasty retreat to the elevator. Yara led the girls towards their destination, ignoring the mens uncomfortableness with the situation.

"Firefly," Riley murmured, shuffling closer to Firefly. She looked a whole lot more unsure with everything now that reality was settling in. "You and Prism don't have to spend anything on me. I'm sure we could just go to a thrift shop or something. Maybe we could get all of my stuff from home..."

"There's no need to go to a thrift store, Riley." Firefly nudged against Riley's hip comfortingly, smiling up at her daughter. She was sure to keep her shoulder against Riley's thigh, hoping that the physical contact would give the poor girl a sense of ease. "We have more than enough for this. Don't worry about it."

She nearly stopped though, looking up concerned at the girl when she realized something. "We can still get all of your stuff if you want too. It's not a problem."

Riley thinks about it for a moment, ducking her head before nodding. "Yeah... Yeah, I would like that."

It turned out that the section was all the way in the back of the store, and they still hadn't reached it yet. Rainbow's attention began to wander, and she wasn't really paying attention to her families conversation. She started bouncing along in Riley's footsteps, weaving back and forth to a tune that only she could hear.

Firefly thought for a moment, before deciding to reassure Riley. There was no need for the girl to think that she was being a burden for any of this.

"Riley, I think that you should know something about our family, but I don't want you to freak out."

Riley looked down at her, waiting for her to continue.

Firefly took a deep breath before charging forward.

"Our family doesn't hurt for bits." There she said it. Firefly didn't like to discuss with other ponies about her families financial situation, but Riley was family now. There was no reason to hide anything from her.

"Like a horse bit?" Riley raised an eyebrow, trying to figure out whether or not that was demeaning for Equestrians. She couldn't imagine that having a bit in their mouth wouldn't be a wonderful way to go about their lives.

"What?!" Firefly felt a jolt of electricity rush down her spine and she blushed. There was no way that she or Prism ever used bits like that. "No! Prism and I are..."

She shook her head as realization hit her and she understood where Riley was coming from. "Right, different meanings and things. On Equestria, our currency is called bits."

"I am an author, Riley, and I have had a fair bit of success." Firefly guided the conversation back on topic. "Please understand, Prism and I are not trying to buy your love. We just want to make sure that you have everything you could need. We want to take care of you."

Riley thought about it for a moment, but she still wasn't sure about it. Her family never struggled to get everything that they needed, but there was never much left over. The life of a colonist was one of living with the bare necessities and stretching every dollar as far as possible.

"Alright." She nodded her head, giving a small smile to Firefly. She wasn't fully comfortable with everything, but she had a feeling that would grow to get used to it. It would become normal to her.

"Alright." Firefly nodded with Riley, smiling at her compassionately.

"Now, do you know your size?" Yara asked, coming to a stop at the edge of the section.

"Hey, that lady is naked!" Rainbow exclaimed happily, pointing a hoof as she giggled loudly.

The other three all turned to see that Rainbow was short enough that she could see into the dressing rooms with no problems whatsoever. Firefly blushed, rushing over and pulling Rainbow away.

"Rainbow!" Firefly glanced around, noting thankfully that none of the other customers had heard the filly's exclamation. "Don't be rude."

"Mooommm!" Rainbow whined, trying to duck out from under mother's leg. She cocked her head in confusion. "What did I do? We're naked all the time. We're naked right now!"

"I'll explain it to you later." Firefly face hoofed, turning her daughter until she was facing away from the dressing rooms.

"Fine." Rainbow sulked, scowling as she dropped her head to the ground.

###

Neither was quite sure how, but Prism and Anderson had found themselves in the jewelry section of the store after beating their hasty retreat. They wandered through the glistening jewelry aisles, randomly looking over the outrageously expensive baubles and trinkets inside. They didn't care so much where they were so much as long as they didn't have to be around such awkwardness. Even as a pony, Prism got that there was just something strange about a father helping their daughter pick out her underwear.

Prism instead figured that now was the best time to talk to David.

"How are you doing with all of this, David?" Prism watched the man for his reactions.

David glanced at Prism, then looked back over at the display cases he was studying a moment before. He hummed in his throat for a moment as he gathered his thoughts together. "I wish that so many things could have been different, but I am happy that Riley is getting such a wonderful family out of all of this. You and Firefly are going to be amazing parents to her."

"Well, we do have Rainbow. She pretty much was all the training we ever needed." Prism laughed. Rainbow had caused more property damage than he had ever known that a single filly ever could.

"She certainly is a hand-full... hoof-full." Anderson laughed, looking back at Prism. He pushed down the sadness that struck at his heart. No wasn't the time for it.

"You have no idea." Prism was glad that the older she got, the more restrained Rainbow was becoming. "We're lucky that we have such a great insurance plan."

Glancing at one of the display cases, Prism stopped. A single bracelet caught his eye, and he felt drawn to it. He could never have imagined that he would have found such a thing in on Earth. Taking a closer look, he smiled. Raising a hoof, he waved over one of the clerks.

"What can I do for you?" The clerk only looked partially interested in the way that people who knew their pay-check depended on the spending habits of the customer.

"I want to buy that." Prism pointed at the bracelet.

"Certainly, sir." The clerk pulled it out from the display case, quickly going about packaging in a small jewelry box.

"Well, that's certainly a lucky coincidence." Anderson walked closer and gave a nod of approval at what he saw as the worker pulled the bracelet out of the case. "She's going to love it."

"I know." Prism was sure that Riley would appreciate it. "Why do think I bought it."

It only took the clerk a few moments to package the bracelet up and for Prism to make the purchase. Anderson was kind enough to place the small box in his jacket. The two of them wandered around for another hour or so before returning to meet up with the female side of the Rainbow family.

Much to their relief, they found them venturing forth into the rest of the clothing sections. Both let out a small sigh of relief and picked up their pace to rejoin them.

"Hi dad!" Rainbow perked up when she saw her father, waving at him. She galloped forward and rushed at him.

"How are you girls doing?" Prism gives her a quick hug, throwing a foreleg over her shoulder.. He turned to Firefly and Riley, noting that Riley was pushing a small hand-cart with her, stuffed with clothes.

"Well, we got all of the awkward parts over," Firefly grinned at them, her eyes twinkling with amusement. "We're just starting on the rest."

"Well, we can take a break for lunch and come back for the rest after." Prism was getting hungry, and if he was hungry, then he knew that Rainbow must be starving. He had learned that through trial and error and many long hours of keeping the filly from bothering her mother while she wrote.

"Lunch! I'm hungry." She got an intense look of concentration as she thought through what exactly she wanted to eat. It was an important matter after all, and she didn't want to make the wrong decision. Rainbow brightened when she figured it out. "I want spaghetti!"

"I think we should let Riley decide, Rainbow." Firefly was sure that at least until she was better, Rainbow's untempered enthusiasm would outshine any wishes that Riley might have. She was determined to make sure the girl at least got some of the things she enjoyed.

Eagerly, Rainbow looked over to Riley, giving her the widest, most vulnerable stare that she could muster. She even threw in a bit of a lip wobble, because she had learned that her father caved to nearly all requests with a little bit of lip wobble. Her mother, not so much.

"I like spaghetti." Riley shrugged, not really moved by Rainbow's display despite how adorable she thought it was. Still, she liked spaghetti, and it certainly sounded good.

"Yeah!" Rainbow leaped up, punching her hoof in the air in excitement. "Spaghetti!"

As he watched the family, Anderson felt an aching in his chest that he had never felt before. The pang of loneliness though, was much more familiar.


	15. Chapter Fourteen - Leaving

Chapter Fourteen - Leaving

The feeling hadn't disappeared by the next morning, and Anderson ignored his tiredness from not getting any sleep the night before. He stood in the terminal of the New York Space-Port, one of only four on the entirety of the planet, and by far the largest and most opulent. He watched the Rainbow family as they checked all of their baggage. Being that there was quite a bit of it considering that they needed to get everything that they had bought for Riley to Equestria, it was taking quite a while and forming quite the line.

He frowned, sadness filling him, but he was sure to not let any of them see anything out of the ordinary whenever they turned to look at him, especially Riley and Rainbow. Neither of them needed to see him on the verge of falling apart.

He was dressed in his Alliance battle-dress uniform, a duffel bag with all of his clothes at his feet. He was heading to a different part of the terminal to check in for his flight to Arcturus Station and he was going to say his goodbyes before heading off. He had spent the entire night before trying to figure out what he wanted to say to Riley before he left, and he still wasn't sure on the details.

Anderson schooled his features when he noticed that the Rainbows had finished with checking in and were heading back on over to him, slow, and more than a little reluctant. He hoped that it was because they didn't want to see him go anymore than he actually wanted to himself.

"Well..." Prism trailed off, not quite sure on what he wanted to say. There was so much that they had to be thankful to David for, and he was never very good at expressing his own emotions. Instead, Prism sat back on his haunches in front of David, a small frown on his face. Firefly sat down next to him, leaning against his side for comfort.

"David, I cannot tell you how much I am thankful to Celestia that we met. You are a wonderful man." Thankfully, Firefly had a much easier time than Prism talking about her feelings.

"You're not such a bad mare yourself, Firefly." Anderson blushed, not used to having a lot of attention given to him.

"Thank you, David." Firefly smiled at him thankfully. She stepped forward, giving him a quick but warm hug that he returned wholeheartedly.

"You're welcome at our house anytime, David." Prism nodded to him, a manly sort of thing that he felt far more comfortable with. "Feel free to stop by whenever you can."

"I will definitely take you up on that, Prism." Anderson smiled to him, giving his own nod in return.

"Bye!" Rainbow waved at David, and she was so enthusiastic about it that her entire body wiggled from the effort.

"Come on, Rainbow." Prism looked down at Rainbow, smiling at her. "Let's let Riley have a moment with David."

"Ok!" Rainbow chirped, before brightening as a thought rushed through her head. "Hey, let's get pretzels!"

"We'll see, Rainbow." Prism tactfully sidestepped the suggestion as he, Rainbow, and Firefly all stepped away to give Riley and Anderson a chance to say their own goodbyes to each other.

They both just stood there awkwardly for a moment.

Wincing, David glanced away from Riley. What was holding him back from saying anything to the one girl that was the closest he would likely ever come to having a daughter? David shook his head, deciding that he would just tell her everything that was welling up inside him.

"Riley, I know that you never saw your life heading this way."

Riley looked down at her feet. David was conundrum to her. Her mother and father had never spoken about him to her, and she had had no idea that she had even had a god father. On the one hand, it was nice that someone was out there bothering to look out for her, but on the other, he had given her up to yet another family. She didn't know how she felt about any of this, and so instead she just kept silent.

"It's okay." David lowered his voice, wanting everything he was going to say to be for Riley alone to hear. "I want you to know, you can call me whenever you need to. I will do my best to always be there for you."

"You are growing into a beautiful woman, and this won't keep you down." He stepped forward, putting a hand under her chin to lift her head to look him in the eyes. "Don't be afraid to look to others for help. You can get through this, and we all want to help you."

"I am sorry that I can't be there for you like your parents wanted." He pulled her into a hug. He say anything about how he felt the shuddering of her body as she tried to hide her own tears. He would leave her the dignity she desperately needed. She needed to feel strong. Taking a step back, he puts his hands on both of her shoulders. "I can't give you a home, but I can do my best to make sure that your home is as safe as it possibly can be. I am going to visit you every chance that I can. I want to be a part of your life."

"I'd like that." Riley smiled up nervously at him, her voice just as quiet as his own.

They stood there for what felt like an eternity, not quite sure what to do. In their own ways, both of them were socially inept.

Seeing that they were floundering Prism started walk back towards them, Firefly and Rainbow following only a few steps behind.

"We should really get going." Prism's voice was regretful as he looked up at Anderson and Riley.

Anderson nodded, sadness filling his heart. He wasn't in tune enough with his emotions to know what to say and though his mind was shouting angrily at him, he couldn't find it in himself to say anything.

Firefly stepped forward, pushing up on her hind hooves to hug David, hoping that all of the words he would never be able to hear were coming through. She was happy to find that he hugged back.

"Thank you," Firefly murmured to him. She dropped back down to all four of her hooves, nuzzling up against Riley's thigh. Absent-mindedly, Riley tangled her fingers through her mother's bright blue mane.

Turning, the Rainbow family walked away. Anderson couldn't do anything but watch them go, feeling more helpless and powerless than he ever had before. Riley waved at him over her shoulder before they disappeared out of his sight into the crowds.

Anderson stood there for who knows how long after they were gone, unsure of what to do with himself and what to do with his future.

###

Ethan stood outside at the base of an absolutely mind-boggingly tall skyscraper, the home to the headquarters of Terra Firma. He watched the entrance from across the street, sitting on a bench between a pair of street lamps. He was dressed in as normal clothes as any human could possibly get, with a pair of glasses over a set of prosthetics to hide his identity from any camera that might have been fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of him.

Every so often, he would calmly watch as someone walked out of the skyscraper and he would follow them with his gaze, his brilliant mind taking note of every important detail. His glasses, a marvel of technology, almost instantly identified and catalogued the person and give him all of the information by projecting it on the lenses.

Ethan sat on that bench for hours, gathering his bearings and making his plan. When he finally stood up, Ethan stretched with a groan as his limbs cracked, a deliciously wonderful feeling after so long motionless. Immediately after, he started walking in the opposite direction of the sky-scraper. There were too many forms of security that would have him pegged if he broke in at the moment. Best to utilize one of the other entrances he had scouted out.

Twenty minutes later, Ethan found himself jogging down into the subway system of New York. It had been upgraded and changed like everything else since the twenty-first century, and it was a clean, welcoming place compared to the many pictures that he had seen from the mid-twenty-first century.

Walking to the other end of the platform, Ethan held himself confidently, holding up a small card to the card reader at the door. The card was a wonder of Cerberus engineering full of extremely advanced technology, and it tore through all of the protections and systems of the door and slaved it to its will with almost contemptuous ease.

With a happy ding, the door slid open and Ethan stepped inside.

Ethan entered the back room with a quick glance to ensure that he was alone. He walked past rows of shelves covered in machines that cleaned the subway at night, and more cleaning supplies than he ever wanted to see again. He ignored all of them, walking to a single door in the back of the room. It was labeled simply: Tunnel Access.

Ethan enters the beginning of the largest tunnel system in the world. It spreads out for miles and miles, under every building. It was built as an emergency system, allowing service men and women to quickly and efficiently get to anywhere in the city and its outlying areas as quickly as possible. The city had learned its mistake after the destruction of over a third of the city during World War III.

His glasses projected the map of the entire sub-system directly into his eye, guiding him to directly where he needs to go.

Calmly, he walked through the tunnels, his special card smashing him through every security checkpoint with absolutely no muss or fuss. No one physically guarded the system, trusting the machines to do it for them.

That was a mistake.

Ethan certainly wouldn't be letting them know about the issue after he was done.

He came to a stop at a corner, edging back against the wall. Taking a small black ball from his pocket, he knelt down and rolled the ball around the corner. Spinning under its own power, the ball found the perfect position in the room.

A second later, and a small _whoomp_ of electricity sounded out, a powerful EMP. Ethan sauntered out from around the corner. All of the devices had been knocked out, and a large set of double doors sat underneath two cameras that died in the blast.

Stepping inside, Ethan shut the doors, forcing them closed behind him. A normal human wouldn't have been able to do that. The doors were eight inches thick, built from starship hull grade materials, with an intricate lock system designed with multiple redundancies, but Ethan wasn't exactly a normal human. The door was never designed to repel an incursion. It was built to allow the city to allow near instant access anywhere, and to lock others off if the need ever came.

"Right then, let's get started," Ethan muttered.

He strode confidently into the lowest level of the skyscraper, heading for the elevator.

Precisely forty seconds later (Ethan timed it) the elevator doors opened onto the floor that Terra Firma had rented for over a decade. Ethan stepped out calmly, but if you looked hard enough, he was ready for a fight.

He took a moment to look around at the desks and offices. They were empty, no one there, and he smiled. There was no one there to stop him, child's play.

He stood just past the elevator doors, looking around at the offices lining the edges of the room. He read all of the titles until he landed upon Inez Simmon's name written on the door that promised to lead to the largest office on the floor. The light was on, which he could see through the thin and tall frosted window just to the right of the door.

"Okay." Ethan nodded to himself. With long strides, he walked forward. He reached out for the door, expecting it to be locked.

He snorted to himself and shook his head when it opened without a problem.

Looking down, Ethan saw that the lock had been broken off. He looked inside of the office to find that it was absolutely trashed. Whoever had been there before him was extremely sloppy and obviously did not know how to search properly for anything. Amateurs. He snorted again.

"Huh..." He took a step inside, resting his hands on his hips.

"What are you doing?"

Ethan turned, unconcerned to find Michael Basinger standing behind him. He had taken the time to memorize all the faces of the office, and he recognized Simmon's right hand man with absolutely no difficulty. Neither of them knew each other. Michael looked tired, beaten down, like he had the weight of the galaxy sitting on his shoulders. For all that Ethan knew, he very well might have.

"Where is Inez Simmons?" Ethan's thoughts and quick assessment of Michael took only a moment, and he was sure that the man didn't even notice it.

"Don't know." Michael shrugged. He looked despondent and Ethan was able to read him like an open book. An open book that happened to be written in large, child friendly font.

"Who does?" Ethan asked softly, already working out the best way to twist the man to his own purposes.

"I don't know." Michael just shook his head, confused about the happenings of the past week. "No one does. He's disappeared."

"When?" He could see that the man was already trusting him, and god was that sad. This man had absolutely no spine. He probably didn't even know that he was being manipulated.

"Right after the trial." Michael leaned against the doorway, looking at the room with dead eyes.

"Hmmm..." Ethan turned to look at the office, frowning. "Who did this?"

"I don't know," Michael shrugged, taking a deep breath. "But the alarms started going off two hours ago."

"Cerberus, I think." Michael meets Ethan's eyes.

Ethan didn't make a single reaction to the answer.

Michael realized something, looking at Ethan with new eyes. "Who did you say you are, exactly?"

"No one you need to know." Ethan simply turned and walked out of the headquarters.

###

They had been traveling for four days so far, but already Riley knew that she didn't like it. Everyone on the ship, when she and the rest of her family got on, seemed like they all knew who she was. They all stared at her like she was a piece of meat, a fascinating oddity that was simply there for their amusement.

Riley had kept as much to her room as possible since then. She had made liberal use of the room service so she didn't have to head off to the buffet and be stared at even more.

The door slammed open, but Riley barely even startled. It was simply the way that her new sister entered the room.

Rainbow scampered over the floor, jumping up onto Riley's bed. With a giggle, she poked Riley with her hooves. With a groan, Riley rolled over to look at her as the little filly sat back on her haunches, grinning.

"What?" Riley couldn't help but give a tired grin at the excitement that bubbled off Rainbow.

Rainbow bounced a little on the bed, her wings fluttering happily, lifting her up off the ground every few moments. "I want to show you something!"

"What?" Riley raised an eyebrow.

"It's cool." Rainbow promised, her voice pitching up at the end.

Riley didn't look convinced, a single eyebrow raising in confusion.

"Come on," Rainbow pleaded, cocking her head. "You'll like it. I promise."

Riley still didn't look convinced, but Rainbow's wide pleading eyes were certainly changing that around.

Riley finally sat up with a groan. Her voice reluctant, she gave a quick nod. "Alright."

"Sweet!" Rainbow punched a hoof into the air, her wings flapping furiously as she bounced off the bed and back onto the floor. Rainbow rushed to the door, smiling excitedly about whatever it was that she wanted to show Riley. Flapping her wings, Rainbow grabbed the handle in her mouth and opened the door. "Come on!"

Riley rolled over and off the door, following her little sister.

Riley hesitated for just a moment in the doorway, glancing up and down the hall. It was brightly lit and warmly decorated, to be as welcoming as possible. Riley wanted nothing else than to crawl back into her bed and under her covers. Instead, she took a deep breath and stepped out of the room.

"Where are we going?" Riley asked after Rainbow, who she had to struggle to keep up with.

Rainbow looked back and up at Riley, grinning. "Trust me! It's going to be awesome."

Riley watched Rainbow carefully, unsure, but willing to trust her. While impulsive, the filly was incredibly sweet and loyal. She wouldn't bring harm to her if she could do anything at all to help it.

"Alright, Rainbow." Riley sighed, keeping careful watch on the filly's brightly colored tail as she darted around other passengers.

Rainbow led her to an elevator, and happily pressed the down button before they waited patiently for it to arrive. Rainbow bounced back and forth on her hooves, a little excited dance that made Riley giggle in amusement.

The elevator door opened, and Riley was relieved to see that it was empty. Rainbow darted inside, while Riley followed at a much more sedate pace.

Rainbow got up on her back hooves with a little grunt and pressed a button on the large row of buttons before flashing a grin at Riley.

The elevator ride was thankfully short, and after it opened Rainbow led Riley down a hall and around a corner. She held up a hoof to stop Riley, peeking around the corner. The coast was clear, and Rainbow waved Riley forward. "Come on!"

Rainbow scampered around the corner and Riley followed after her, surprised to find that there was only a staff entrance at the end of the hall and Rainbow was leading her right towards it.

"Where exactly are you taking me, Rainbow?" Riley looked at her sister curiously, wondering what exactly what the little pegasus had been getting up to whenever she disappeared from the room.

"Trust me." Rainbow reached up and opened the staff door, looking back at Riley with a massive grin. "We'll be fine."

The door had been left unlocked, and they had no problem getting inside.

The staff hallways of the starship were nowhere near as nice as the rest of the ship, which was designed for passengers of a certain status. The innards of the ship were just laid bare for easy access, pipes and wires going everywhere. Easy to repair and even easier to replace.

Rainbow ignored all of that, leading Riley down the hallway confidently.

"What exactly have you been getting up to the past few days?" Riley's voice was incredulous, amused at whatever she had been getting up to.

"Explorin' and stuff." Rainbow shrugged.

"I can see that." Riley laughed quietly, a small half-grin on her face. "You've explored everything, haven't you?"

"Yep!" Was Rainbow's simple response.

The two entered a large crew relaxation room, empty luckily. It was a place where crew-members could relax off duty, with more than enough couches and TVs to seat a hundred people. As it stood, the room got very little use thanks to the work schedules of the crew.

Rainbow ignored all of that. She walked toward the large blank wall opposite the door in the room.

Standing next to a small panel, Rainbow turned and grinned at Riley. "Check this out!"

She hit the button.

Riley stepped back a little in surprise as massive shutters began sliding up outside the ship. It's a window, and it looked out over the entirety of space.

Riley's jaw dropped in awe, and Rainbow sauntered up to her, incredibly proud of herself. "Momma told me that we're going faster than any Wonderbolt has ever flown."

Riley walked forward, putting a hand up against the window. "It's amazing..."

"I know, right!" Rainbow exclaimed. She trotted up to Riley, leaning against her leg. They just sat there together for awhile.

After quite a few minutes had passed, Riley eased herself down cross-legged, wrapping her arms around Rainbow. Tears welled in her eyes, but they didn't fall.

"Thanks, Rainbow," she whispered.

"Just looking' out for my big sister." Rainbow smiled happily.

###

The entire Rainbow family sat around a dining table situated in a cozy corner of the large dining hall, away from most of the prying eyes of the other diners in the room. They had already ordered their food and were munching on the rather wonderful bread that had been provided for them.

"Riley," Firefly spoke up after swallowing the last of her roll. "There are some things that we thought we should tell you about before we get home."

"Like what?" Riley asked, curiosity filling her eyes.

"Equestria is different from anything that you have ever experienced, and we just want you to be prepared." Prism laughed a little as he said it. He was glad that Firefly had had the foresight and than the idea to let Riley know everything about what she was going to be experiencing.

"Okay..." Riley took a bite of her bread, glancing down at her plate.

"You've had enough, Dashie." Firefly reached a hoof over to stop Rainbow from grabbing a fourth piece of bread. "Wait for dinner."

Rainbow crossed her forelegs over her chest, sulking a little. Firefly ignored that and turned back to Riley, ready to explain and ease her into the changes that her life might end up going through living in Equestria.

"Equestira is a principality, ruled over by the sister Princesses, Celestia and Luna," Firefly explained. "They have ruled our world for thousands of years, and have lived even longer than that."

Riley listened carefully, having heard some of this before in school, but she knew that it was going to be more truthful and accurate from who was telling her, a resident and citizen of Equestria itself.

"There is almost no major crime, but our society is still in the middle of the upheavel from First Contact." Prism snorted at that. It was definitely an understatement. "We are still in the process of integrating technolgy into our day to day lives."

"That is the easy stuff." Firefly knew that they would have more time to speak in depth on the matters, but for now a simple explanation would suffice. "You won't run into any trouble if you don't do anything that would be illegal on Earth."

They all paused in their conversation as their waiter brought them their first course, salads. They thanked the waiter, and waited to resume talking after she was gone.

"Aside from the Asari, Equestria is the only planet to where cross-species relationships are normal." Equestrian relationships were possibly the largest sticking point that Firefly had seen in acclimating Riley to her new world.

"There is one thing we need to get out of the way," Prism said.

Firefly glanced at Prism worriedly, but didn't stop him. They did need to bring the matter up before Riley experienced it first hand with no prior knowledge.

"Herds are a common type of relationship on Equestria," Prism continued. "It comes from how we evolved."

"Herds?" Riley looked confused, not quite understanding the meaning of the word in the context that Prism was using it.

"A herd is a polygamous relationship." Firefly stepped in, taking over from her husband. "It stemmed from the large gender inequality that crosses all three of the pony races. It isn't as common nowadays, but they are common enough that we thought we should bring it up before you get surprised."

Riley wasn't quite sure what to make of that, her eyes widening, but she didn't have a strong opinion about it one way or another. She had bigger problems in her life.

"Have you learned about celestial mechanics and the workings of solar systems?" Prism noticed and thankfully hurried the conversation along. They would approach the matter again when it was a better time, when Riley was ready for it. At least she knew about it. There would be no great surprises for her.

"Yeah." Riley nodded, not quite sure what he was talking about.

"Forget all of that." Prism murmured. He thought about that for a second than shook his head. "No. Don't forget it. Just disregard it when you're on Equestria."

"Why?" Riley cocked her head in confusion.

"Princess Celestia and Princess Luna control the orbit of the sun and moon." Firefly had dabbled in astronomy once she learned the truth about the galaxy. "Equestria itself is the center of our star system, a bit of a misnomer, but it is widely understood by all when the topic is brought up."

"That's weird..." Riley blinked. She remembered that she'd heard that before and can't believe that she ever actually forgot about it. She had just dismissed it as unimportant at the time.

"Imagine how we all felt!" Prism laughed. "Learning that everything we knew about the universe to be an absolute anomaly."

"Excuse me."

The table turned nearly as one, noticing that an unfamiliar waiter was standing nervously nearby. She shuffled her feet and did her best to meet eyes with Firefly and Prism.

"I just wanted to apologize," the waiter said softly. "Not all of us are like Terra Firma. I'm really happy to see that everything went alright. Quite a few of us on this ship feel the same. You are a good family."

The waiter bowed her head thankfully before practically running away. The Rainbow family all glanced at each other before shrugging and continuing on with their meal.

After a long moment, Prism coughed quietly. He looked over at Firefly, who smiled encouragingly at him before steeling himself and looking at Riley.

"Riley," he said, his voice wavering for just a moment before it firmed up. "I have something to give to you."

Riley looked up at him in confusion. "What?"

Lifting his wing, Prism pulled the box out from where he had kept it for the entire night. "Here." He held it out to her on the tip of his wing. "Open it."

Riley took the box gently, looking at him and then Firefly. They both looked back at her with warm eyes. Looking down, she opened it and gasped at what she found inside. Looking back up, she shook her head.

"It's too much," she said, her voice wavering as all of her emotions threatened to crash down on her.

"No." Prism shook his head with a smile. "I think it fits. It shows that you're now a part of our family. Humans might not get cutie marks, but I'm sure that if you were a pony, you would certainly get that one."

Looking back down, Riley pulled the bracelet out of the box, holding it up to look at in the light. "It's beautiful."

It was. The bracelet had been an exceedingly lucky thing to find, especially in a human store. With a simple celtic weave in silver, with lightning bolts in yellow, red, and blue coming from a white cloud at equal distances inlaid into the metal, it was striking how similar the symbols were to Prism's and Rainbow's cutie marks. She tried her best to hold back the tears welling in her eyes.

"Thank you," she whispered, her voice cracking. "Thank you."

"You're a part of our family now, Riley. Never forget that." Firefly leaned into Riley's side, nuzzling against her arm. "We love you, Riley."

"I..." Riley put the bracelet on with infinite meaning. "I love you too."


End file.
